Midnight Coward
by Fiercest Badger
Summary: Lucy Mavrick moves back to Forks for her senior year. Only things have changed. For example, she really digs that Bella chick. And there are giant wolves, one of which has a staring problem. Also, did Bella's boyfriend just sparkle? She just wanted to smoke and enjoy school. Instead, everyone else is acting like they're the ones who're high. Especially that Paul guy. Paul/OC
1. Friends

**Chapter One- In which Bella and Lucy become friends.**

**AN: I don't own squat.**

* * *

Bella Swan hit the snooze button as she groaned. As usual, the brunette didn't get very much sleep, if she got any at all. She lifted herself with her arms to pull her legs beneath her. She then sat on her knees and stared at the headboard of her bed, distrustfully scanning the dream-catcher. Damn useless, if you asked her. Every night was haunted by nightmares ever since _he_ left.

With the first thought of the day, Bella maneuvered herself out the bed. Her body already ached in protest of today as her feet touched the cool carpet and worked to gather her clothes. The ritual continued on, despite her disdain, just like she knew it would. Pick out today's outfit; carry it to the bathroom where she'd wash, brush her teeth, and change; carry sleep clothes (usually yesterday's outfit) to the hamper in the room; pick up school supplies; go downstairs to the kitchen; drink coffee; go to school. It was always the same and it never failed her- even if she hated it.

School was okay for the most part. It proved to be a good distraction. There were still reminders everywhere, but it wasn't as bad as being home with an idle mind. While at school, Bella usually did homework between classes and then avidly paid attention to her teachers; she no longer spoke unless she was spoken to and walked the halls half-dead. During lunch, Bella sat with her old friends, only to ignore them and be ignored. Afterwards, she'd go to her last two classes, and then head home. There, she did chores, cooked dinner, finished homework, and went to bed.

The morning went as usual and, before she knew it, she was pulling into her parking spot. Oblivious to everything but herself, Bella began briefly reviewing the lessons for today's classes in her truck. A few minutes before the final bell rung, she was almost there for the first period, English IV. She might have noticed Mike Newton talking to someone she didn't recognize, but she barely even recognized him.

The rest of the day carried on normally. Class, study, class, study, etc. Eventually, lunch time came and Bella shuffled her way to the cafeteria. This time of day was usually dreaded. She hated sitting with anyone. The noise frayed her nerves and she could still feel the awkwardness of having her there, unresponsive and depressing. Mostly, her friends did well to ignore her and, in return, Bella managed to remain aloof. She barely ate and stared off into the distance, making her mind stay shut down.

As she sat down at the circular table, however, she realized that something wasn't right. Instead of just Mike, Jessica, Eric, and Angela, there was another person with unnatural red hair peaking beneath a black beanie. Although she didn't want to notice the stranger, she couldn't help but look curiously at her as Jessica introduced the two.

"Lucy, this is Bella. She moved here last year. Bella, this is Lucy. She used to go to middle school with us." Jessica's expression was tight and awkward, like she wasn't sure how to act in this situation. Maybe she was afraid of being embarrassed by Bella's unresponsiveness. Maybe she had that look when dealing with Bella all the time now. Bella sure as hell didn't know.

She started to quietly tell her 'hello,' only to be interrupted by Lucy's boisterous, "Hey, how're you doing?" Bella blinked slowly at Lucy's grinning face. What did she have to be so happy about? Emotion was so sluggish to the brunette that she had to wonder how anyone felt anything at all. But there the new kid was, choppy red hair swooshing against her forehead and dark makeup smeared around her smiling eyes. She seemed undeterred by Bella's disinterest and didn't take offense to her lack of reaction. Instead, the new kid turned back to her old friends and began to animatedly chat. Several times, she'd turn to Bella and ask for input and, occasionally, Bella would respond, much to the shock of her friends.

The more Lucy talked to Bella, the more she felt like she was waking up. It seemed impossible to block the redhead out of her misery, and this resulted in Bella paying more attention to detail. Like how Angela had new glasses and Jessica's hair was shorter than she remembered; Mike's hair was still styled like Ed- _him_- and Eric was nowhere to be seen. It was like suddenly she was alive again- if barely.

This is why she immediately jumped to Lucy's name when Charlie threatened to send her to Jacksonville the next morning.

"Who's Lucy Mavrick?" he demanded with a puzzled expression. Of course, yesterday was her first day at school, so Charlie probably hadn't caught wind of the girl yet.

"She just started school here yesterday. We were going to go to Port Angeles tonight," she weakly lied. Sort of. After school ended, the new girl ran after Bella before she could leave to ask her if she had any plans. No plans were actually made, just a request to "call me!" and a phone number. She hoped that Lucy hadn't made any plans since then…

"Girl's night out… that's… that's good. Good," Charlie finally deflated. He was obviously suspicious but Bella couldn't help that and Charlie wasn't going to act on it. "Alright, well be safe. Nothing too crazy."

"'Course not, Dad."

* * *

Lucy Mavrick slid the beanie over her choppy hair and lightly smudged the kohl around her eyes in the rearview mirror of her pop's car. Well, it was her car now, she supposed, a beat up Ford Focus that resembled something like a hearse. Her pop had tossed her the keys this morning with a grumbled "happy birthday, Lu," before trudging back into his bedroom with a cold beer in his hand. Lucy had been ecstatic at the gift and happy that at least he had remembered. Her phone was blaringly blank with the lack of birthday calls or texts from her mom or friends, but that was to be expected. Once you moved away, you were already in the process of being forgotten.

The bottle-redhead picked up her burning cigarette from the car's ashtray to take in its last few hits- just to steady her nerves. Truth be told, Lucy knew there wasn't anything to be nervous about. The first day was already out of the way- and she had been stoned for most of the bullshit anyway. She was sober now, having smoked the rest of her stash in celebration of completing her first day back at Forks, and that was probably why she was so nervous. Hell, what if she fucked up everything because she was sober? She made a face at the thought. She'd have to make "good friends" real quick.

When she was finished smoking, she put out the cigarette butt in the overflowing ashtray and opened her car door, grinning when the smoke wafted out like a dark cloud. Unfortunately, the light drizzle prevented the smoke from being easily seen. Perhaps that'd have been for the best. No reason for everyone to realize just how much she had changed

"Hey, whoa, was that smoke, Luce?"

Lucy grinned at the nickname as well as the observation and looked at the person approaching her- Eric Yorkie. He hadn't been at school yesterday to see her return and hear her new (very lame) jokes, but obviously heard about it. Not even Angela, who used to be her best friend, recognized Lucy at first. After eighth grade, she changed and changed a lot. She was no longer the blonde chubby kid with floral-headbands and braces with yellow rubber-bands. The baby-doll dresses were replaced with band-tees and ripped-up jeans; black nail polish stood out on her fingers when it used to be pink and white; and, finally, her hair was no longer blonde and flowing down her back. Instead, it was bright red and chopped in a disarray beneath the dark beanie. She was the complete opposite of the Lucy they used to know.

"Yeah, I guess you could say I'm _smoking_," she greeted with a goofy laugh, slamming her door closed. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and placed a hand on her hip. "But look at you, Eric- _damn_!"

"You're telling me!" he returned, looking her over as he got closer. "What the hell happened to you? Only reason I knew it was you was 'cause Mike warned me yesterday!"

Lucy shrugged and grinned wider. "I guess I changed a little, huh?" Her button nose crinkled slightly, as if she couldn't even stand the understatement. She was the complete opposite of who she used to be and she had a feeling that everyone from her childhood was catching on. Hopefully, they'd like this new her.

"Yeah, just a bit, except for your lame sense of humor," Eric chuckled before finally pulling the short girl into a hug. Lucy returned it wholeheartedly. One thing that didn't change was her love of affection. She loved dishing it out and loved receiving it. She wouldn't think twice about brushing someone's hair out of their eyes or kissing their cheeks goodbye.

He walked her to class after they shortly separated and they talked like Lucy hadn't been gone for three and a half years. In fact, it began to get easier to talk with each of her new/old friends. Angela accepted Lucy in stride, as though she hadn't changed at all; Jessica mostly ignored it, though Lucy caught a couple of "what the fuck" looks; Mike seemed amused by it; and Eric loved it. No matter the reaction, though, Lucy was still "Luce."

But the thing was- she wanted that ease with Bella Swan. It was almost pathetic how desperate she felt about getting the brunette's attention, constantly waving her down and calling her name in the hallways and pulling her into hugs. Each time, Bella looked more and more startled out of her zombie-like state and, well, Lucy couldn't help but enjoy that.

From the time she first met Bella Swan, she felt this _pull_. Maybe it was because Bella looked so damn sad that Lucy felt obliged to glance at Bella's arms upon meeting her. Seeing her so broken, even though she was a stranger, really bothered the redhead for reasons she had a hard time putting into words. She just knew how devastating heartbreak could be. Hell, her own father hadn't quite gotten over her mother. There were times when she was younger that he'd call just to ask Gen back into his life. Obviously, her parents never got back together again and Lu was forced to move to Oregon with her mother. But that was another tale for another time.

By the time lunch came around, Bella was remarkably less zombified than she was yesterday. She was becoming more and more aware of her constant surroundings instead of just aimlessly carrying on her day- and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. One thing was for sure: Lucy Mavrick was the reason. All day long, she called out to Bella and pulled her into hugs. If Bella didn't respond, Lucy would continue chattering senselessly as they walked to class. As the day continued, Bella grew to expect Lucy's presence.

But it wasn't until lunch that she realized people were staring at her, especially when Lucy was around. It wasn't hard to guess why, considering Bella was unresponsive for a good part of the year. Suddenly coming to life because of the new girl must have appeared strange. Even her friends looked at her oddly when she talked back to Lucy and asserted her opinion (or at least tried to) when the group was talking.

Lucy grinned at the brunette, pleased to see Bella trying to be a part of the discussion. She was slow with the communication and almost culture-shocked at what was going on. She hadn't been aware of the movies playing- in fact thought movies that were out three months ago were still on the big screen. That wasn't so bad itself, but when Bella complimented Jessica's new hairstyle, she had to find out it was all grown back from a month ago. Things like this kept happening as Bella tried, usually ending in pink cheeks and embarrassment. The only thing keeping Bella from giving up and retreating was the new girl sitting beside her, occasionally give a light nudge with her elbow. Somehow, this made Bella feel a lot better.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Lucy was still very much feeling pleased with herself and Bella's inclusion. By now, she hoped that it was clear she wanted to be friends with the brunette and that she could continue her last half-year of high school in pleasure. The hope was enforced when Bella called Lucy's name shyly while everyone else started to leave. The others shot curious glances at the two, embarrassing Bella further, but Lucy ignored it with a smile.

"Hey, what's up, Bee?" Bella flushed at the nickname.

"Uhm, I was wondering if you were free tonight," Bella started, looking at the ground. "I told my dad I'd go to Port Angeles with some friends to watch a movie." Her face heated up even more at her admission. Why'd she have to go and explain that?

"Actually, yeah, that sounds fun," Lucy replied. Bella looked up in mild surprise. She hadn't really expected the shorter senior to agree with any plans. Maybe that was stupid, considering Lucy had asked about the same thing just the day before but Bella felt rusty with her communication skills. It was disgusting.

"Thank you. I have your number. I'll make sure to call you," she said awkwardly and began walking to her class.

Lucy grinned the rest of the day.

True to her word, Bella called Lucy a couple of hours after school. Lucy was sitting at the shabby table in her kitchen, flipping through random pages of her English book when a _buzz_ on the tabletop startled her. She quickly swiped her vibrating phone off the table and answered with a lazy 'hullo.'

"Hi, this is Bella Swan. Is Lucy there?"

Lucy straightened up. "Yeah, yeah, hey Bee! What's up?" she asked excitedly. She felt relieved that Bella actually called because she had been a little worried. What if Bella had only said that to make Lucy shut up? Or what if Bella changed her mind?

Ugh, she was starting to sound like a school-girl with a crush.

"I was actually calling to see when you wanted to leave for the movies. I figured we could carpool, if that's alright." Lucy could hear the uncertainty in Bella's voice. Honestly, it was totally misplaced where the redhead was concerned. Not that she could blame Bella for her hesitance. To hear Jessica Stanley tell it, Bella had been pretty comatose for four months. She must feel like interacting was something foreign at the moment.

"That's a good idea, yeah, let's do that. My ride or yours? Mine might be better on gas- no offense," Lucy babbled, stretching her bent elbows across the table. Which was true. She had seen Bella's truck and it was monstrous. It was probably a glutton for gas and the gas prices were skyrocketing.

"Your ride is fine," Bella conceded lightly.

"I can pick you up, then," Lucy said, leaning back in her chair in fake nonchalance- in reality, a shock of excitement had run through her at the prospect.

Bella agreed hesitantly and sprouted off her address, which Lucy scribbled down quickly in the corner of a text book page. "I don't know what movies are playing so we could just show up," she suggested. "Do you want to leave in about an hour?" she asked, to which Lucy glanced at the stove's clock. It was 4:35.

"Yeah, that's fine. If we get there early, we can get a bite to eat," the redhead replied thoughtfully. "Well, I need to put pants on, so I'll call you when I'm fixing to leave here. See you, Bee, and take care."

"Uhm, thanks? Bye, Lucy."

When the call ended, Lucy tore the address's corner out of her text book before slamming the book closed. Upon standing, she stretched, then was off to her room to slip a pair of jeans with worn knees over her small shorts. It only took two minutes to be presentable in a pair of ratty shoes and a black Kingdom Hearts tee-shirt. Just as she was grabbing the black-and-gray flannel shirt she wore earlier, a loud knock resonated through the house. That was strange.

The redhead poked her head out of her bedroom in surprise. Who the hell would be visiting? Her dad was at work, so it couldn't have been for him. Maybe it was a Jehovah's Witness or a salesperson with a vacuum cleaner…

It was neither.

"Hey, just the girl I wanted to see," Eric said pleasantly after she swung the door open. She blinked before letting her mouth contort into a grin.

"Did you really expect someone else?" she asked as she stepped to the side. He walked in and she shut the door.

He scoffed. "I know your dad's never home. But! In this case, this is good," Eric was quick to amend at the sight of Lucy's sudden frown. He dug into his pocket and brought his fist out with a wicked grin. At first, Lucy didn't understand- but then her dear friend opened his hand to reveal the best thing Lucy ever saw.

Two tiny little bags, each the size of a nickel, filled with green substances. It was all she could do to stop herself from throwing herself at him.

"How much," she asked with wide eyes. Jesus, was she drooling?

"Consider it a 'welcome home' present," Eric replied. If possible, his grin widened and Lucy finally _did_ throw herself into his arms.

"I do believe I love you, you magnificent human being! But how did you know?" the redhead asked, pulling back a little to search his face. His face was a little pink and his arms were slightly tightening around her waist.

"Well," he started, "you kind of look like a stoner. Mike said your eyes were a little red yesterday and if you suddenly started smoking cigarettes, what's to stop you from pot?"

"I forget how smart you are," Lucy commented. She pulled away but then grabbed his hand to drag him to her bedroom. After closing the door behind them, she turned around to face Eric with a grin. "You're gonna fire it up with me, right?"

His face flushed a little more. He didn't expect to be able to do it with her and had, in fact, only thought to do something nice for the redhead since, well, he was kind of smitten with the girl. He watched as she rummaged through her drawers, mumbling excitedly to herself. When she turned around, she had a small hand-held bowl decorated with little pink stars.

"I have about half an hour," Lucy said before taking one of the offered bags. "Then I have a former engagement. I'm sorry, Eric," she apologized, looking up at him. He shrugged with an easy smile.

"It's all good."

* * *

Bella paced the living room anxiously, only stopping to glance at her watch. It wasn't that Lucy was late. But Bella was beginning to regret making these plans in the first place. She didn't feel ready to venture out into the 'real' world again quite yet. Cancelling was out of the question, however, since every time she headed towards the phone, Charlie gave her a warning look. It looked like she was going to have to tough this out. She glanced at her watch again.

A knock at the door made the brunette freeze in her footsteps. It wasn't until Charlie sighed and made a move to get up that she jerked back to life and dove for the door after scooping up her purse.

"Bye, Dad!" she called, then swung the door open just wide enough to slip outside. When the door closed, she looked at a startled Lucy before she sheepishly smiled. "Hello, Lucy."

"Hello Isabella."

Bella grimaced at her full name. Somehow, it felt like a light scolding. Before she could worry about if she had somehow offended her potential friend, Lucy laughed.

It was a warm sound, the kind that came from the belly and was accompanied with a snort here and there. Bella frowned. What was funny? Was she laughing at her? She shifted uncomfortably as she waited for Lucy to calm down.

"Ah, shit, Bee, you're a hoot. C'mon, let's go."

Bella followed obediently with a pink face. When they got into the car, which smelled of tobacco and something smelly-sweet, she buckled up, the same as Lucy, then turned to look at her in the dimming car light. Lucy's blue eyes were slightly drooped and a little pink around the edges. Her smile was almost dopey looking, like she found something mildly amusing. Vaguely, Bella wondered if it was safe for her to drive, but brushed the thought away.

"Honestly, Bee? I kind of hope we get there early. I'm starving," Lucy complained, revving up the engine. Bella nodded, though Lucy didn't see it on account of her being focused on reversing back onto the road.

"We could go ahead and get something on the way if you want."

Lucy shrugged, then for the CD player's eject button. "Can you check what CD that is?" she asked. Bella swallowed but complied, slipping the disc out to read the sloppy handwriting on its surface.

"It says… Road Clowns?"

"Swag. Oh, what kind of music do you like, Bee?" she asked in a way that sounded like a last-second thought.

Bella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I… I don't really like music. That much, I mean."

Lucy snapped her head to look at the brunette with what could only be described as an appalled expression. It was borderline offended. Bella flinched.

"How the _hell_ do you not like music?" she demanded. "I- I'm sorry, Bee. I mean, no judgment, but _damn_." She readjusted her hand on the steering wheel, which made Bella really worry that she offended her. Sensing this, Lucy sighed. It wasn't her intention to make her friend uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Bee. You just took me by surprise. Please don't think I'm mad."

Bella shrugged half-heartedly. "It's alright. It just… reminds me of my ex, I guess."

She didn't know why she felt like she needed to explain that. It was embarrassing and she doubted that Lucy would understand and 'no judgment' would be flushed down the toilet.

Instead of laughing, however, Lucy looked at Bella again with an expression she could see even in the dying light of the day. "I get you," she replied in a way that was so understanding and somber that Bella had to blink back sudden tears. "I understand, Bee. But I think music isn't something you should avoid. Music isn't there to hurt you, Bella, it's there to _heal_. And, honestly, if you find the right kind, I'm sure it could have that potential, even with you.

"But take your time, alright? We can just talk, if you want. Or stay silent."

Something was shaken inside Bella at the end of Lucy's speech. In a way, she felt a little ashamed of herself- though she had no idea why. All she could think of was the beautiful melodies that he had written and played. All the songs they listened to together. She would never be able to hear them without feeling his hole grow even bigger inside her. And she hated to even think of what love songs would do to her. Believe it or not, Bella wasn't a masochist. She didn't necessarily want to forget him, but… the pain had to end. Didn't it?

True to her word, the rest of the ride was silent between them.

"Alright, so what movie do you want to watch, Bee?" Lucy asked as the two peered onto the list playing movies. There were a couple of romance movies that Lucy had heard good reviews about, but she pointedly ignored them. "I'm kind of in the mood for some gore. What about you?"

"Yeah, anything but romance, please," Bella responded quietly. She was still mulling over their short talk in the car. Still thinking of him.

"Awesome, c'mon."

They bought their tickets, then headed to concession, where Lucy bought nachos, two drinks, and popcorn, whining about being hungry. By the time they were seated in the middle row and Lucy's legs were propped up on the seat in front of her, Bella's pondering sadness was slowly ebbing away. It was mostly gone at the end of the movie, thanks to the boisterous distraction Lucy provided with snide comments and her warm laughter.

"Pretty good," the redhead said as they filed out of the theater. She sipped on her drink and glanced at her quiet friend.

"I'm surprised with all those jokes you were making," Bella commented with a slight smile, to which Lucy returned with a full-blown grin.

"Everything's funny at the moment, I'm afraid. Oh, thank God we can get some real food now! Where do you wanna go?" she asked, dumping her soda in a trashcan next to the exit. Cold air greeted them upon opening the doors. Lucy held it open for Bella.

"I'm okay with anything," Bella replied, not actually feeling all that hungry.

Suddenly, Lucy moaned when her glassy eyes skimmed over Bella. Bella turned around to be greeted by the golden arches. McDonald's.

"I'd give my left tit for a burger," she groaned. "Or chicken nuggets, oh dear me."

The brunette chuckled dryly. "Are you always this hungry?"

"Sometimes," the redhead returned absently, her mind being focused solely on the McDonalds' menu. "I like eating more than I like being skinny, so…"

Lucy might have continued what she was saying, if not for the catcalls suddenly coming their way. At the sound, both of the girls turned their heads to glance across the street, where a group of ragged, creepy men stood with motorcycles outside a bar. Lucy made a face at them, unappreciative of the street harassment, then faced forward, determined to not pay any attention to them. However, Bella remained rooted to her spot on the sidewalk with furrowed eyebrows.

They seemed familiar to her, though she couldn't place why. She stepped closer to them without realizing it.

"What are you doing, Bee?"

"I…" Bella turned back to continue, looking quite confused. The men called again and she twisted back around. This time, she continued across the street, ignoring Lucy's growing alarm. "I think I know them," she called back.

Lucy watched, feeling helpless as her friend talked with one of the men. They were shady as fuck and while Lucy wasn't exactly known for preserving her wellbeing, she knew enough to avoid creeps. Bella was a smart girl- she should have known the same.

Deep down, Lucy knew a lack of good judgment wasn't why Bella was climbing on the back of the creep's motorcycle. She wasn't completely sure of Bella's reasoning, but she could recall her own sadness and the things it pushed her to do. Granted, she never rode away with a guy she didn't know.

Fuck, talk about 'blowing your high.' It had been a few hours since enjoying Eric's gift and she was slowly coming down, which was unfortunate. Agitation and nervousness paced through her forced languorous state. As she waited for her friend to come back, Lucy dug into her purse to pull out her pack of cigarettes. She hadn't planned on smoking around Bella, on account of being unsure of how she felt about that sort of thing, but Lucy damn well deserved it after this stunt.

The cigarette was almost burned out by the time Bella shuffled away from the group and back to the redhead. Bella glanced at the stick in Lucy's fingers, vaguely surprised by it, and watched as the girl brought it to her lips to inhale. She turned her head to blow it, so that the smoke stayed from Bella's direction, before opening her mouth.

"That was such a rush," Bella rushed out in hopes of avoiding the scolding she was sure to get. Lucy didn't really know Bella- at all. Why she was afraid of what she thought, the brunette didn't know? But the paler girl did care, strangely enough, and on top of what she discovered, her mind felt mushy.

"That's cool," Lucy started, surprising Bella. "I mean, it's not cool that you looked to a creep like that for a rush, but… Look, Bee, I'm not going to judge you. I get where you're coming from. And I would really like to be friends with you. So I care. If you want to be reckless, I obviously can't stop you," she said with a quirked eyebrow, then paused to take in another drag. "But please be smarter? People are the most dangerous form of recklessness there is, Bee. They're not something to be messed with. Especially creeps like that."

With the knowing blue eyes that bore into her brown ones, Bella almost revealed everything. For the second time that night, Lucy had made Bella want to cry- out of relief. The redhead seemed so oblivious at first, which was what Bella had initially wanted in a friendship. But the knowing and understanding that Lucy offered Bella gave her something she hadn't felt in a while: security.

Of course, she couldn't expect the same understanding from her new friend if she were to know _everything_. Like how she was now going to search for ways to hear his voice again. Because, at this point, her life was worth two seconds of that velvety smoothness that she had ached for, and for so long. How could she ever explain that without sounding crazy?

Lucy regarded Bella as her friend mulled over something. Hopefully the redhead's nugget of wisdom. She brought the cigarette to her lips for one last heavy drag, then dropped it to the ground, where she preceded to stomp it out.

"I'm hungry," she said, allowing the tension to leave her body. "You have any idea of what you want?"

With that, Bella's new friend headed determinedly down the road to the McDonald's. Lucy was strange. But she was starting to grow on her.

* * *

**AN: So… thank you for giving this a shot. I really appreciate it. I'm not actually sure if this is an original or even good idea. Please let me know. I know that the general plot isn't going to be extravagant and adventurous, but this was something I wanted to see. Please review and judge kindly. Thank you.**


	2. Motorcycles And Pot

**Chapter Two: In which Lucy, Bella, and Jacob fix Motorcycles; and maybe other things.**

**AN: I don't own squat.**

* * *

Lucy had been living in Forks, Washington for a little over a week now. And she was happy. Not only did she have her old friends back, but she had a new friend that she was beginning to feel very close to. Bella Swan was a beautiful person, albeit an occasionally broken one. But Lucy was confident that she would heal in time. Maybe not completely, but enough to find some sort of happiness. And Lucy was determined to help attribute to that.

The night the two girls went to the movies was the start of something beautiful- at least to the redhead. So, sure, Bella scared her a little with that escapade with the creep and the motorbike. And, yeah, she had been high off of some of the best weed she had ever smoked, courtesy of Eric Yorkie. But the drive home from Port Angeles was easy and comfortable, completely different from the drive there. Lucy didn't feel the need to disrupt the silence because Bella seemed more relaxed than she was in the beginning. Maybe it was because she had discovered a love of adrenaline and so had been contemplating it. Lucy could only assume so.

At the moment, the senior was riding shotgun with her legs propped up on the dashboard of Bella's truck. The vehicle was loud and slow, but Bella adored the thing. Lucy thought it held a certain charm. It had personality. When she had said so, Bella blushed before mumbling something along the lines of, "That's what I said."

They were on the way to the store because Lucy mentioned craving chocolate chip pancakes. Bella was embarrassed that she had woken her friend up with her nightmares the night before, so obliged this afternoon to help kill some of the mortification. Lucy tried to reassure the brunette but Bee was stubborn. At least she'd be getting some of Bella's cooking. Absentmindedly, she tapped random beats on her thighs and moved her feet to the rhythm of some song.

"What song is that?"

Startled, Lucy turned from the window to Bella. She hadn't realized she'd been humming. Figures, thought Bella. In the short week she had come to know the redhead, she was quick to realize that Lucy was a musical individual. She was always mumbling songs under her breath or humming. Sometimes she could even be caught outright singing when she thought she was alone. It always reminded Bella of their conversation that first night of friendship, about how music could heal.

"I'm Gonna Be by The Proclaimers," Lucy answered with a small smile, knowing where Bella's thoughts were. "_When I'm lonely, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you. And when I'm dreaming, well I know I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream about the time that I'm with you. When I go out! Well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you! When I come home! Well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who comes back home with you. And yeah, I'm gonna be the man who's coming home with you…_" Lucy sang softly at her friend's confused expression in hopes she would recognize it.

She didn't. But she did enjoy listening to Lucy singing it. Lucy didn't have a remarkable, show-stopping voice, but it was cute and unique. Even though it sounded like a love song, Lucy, or Cee, as Bella had taken to calling her, added improvised percussion on her thick thighs and looked so happy doing it.

"Oh, we're here," she blurted. Her friend grinned in response as Bella parked her truck and they climbed out. As they entered the store, Lucy began humming the melody again and linked her fingers through Bella's. The first time Lucy did such a thing, it had startled her but she soon got accustomed to the affection the redhead displayed. Obviously she didn't think anything of kissing Bella's cheek goodbye or wrapping her arm around her shoulder, so why should Bella? The only thing that would take getting used to was how people starred when Lucy did these things.

"This store is so tiny," Lucy chuckled, eyes scanning the isles. Bella rolled her own eyes at the observation but didn't say anything. Instead, they continued past the cash registers and customers' gazes. Neither bothered reading the signs above each isle, instead opting to stroll down each until they found what they were looking for, which didn't take long at all.

Soon enough, Lucy's and Bella's arms were cradling a box of pancake mix, two bags of chocolate chips, and a small jug of milk. They had a slight disagreement on getting the premade pancake mix, but Lucy insisted that it was easier and tasted no different than homemade. She eventually won when she also mentioned it'd be cheaper and easier to carry. Bella only rolled her eyes and tugged Lucy's hand to the next isle.

After Lucy paid ("It was my idea, damn it, and you drove!" she had to argue), she carried the three plastic bags to the truck, slightly pouting as she eyed Bella's soft, free hands. Bella unlocked and opened the passenger door to allow Lucy in, then did the same with her own side. Then they were off.

"So I was thinking," Lucy started. Bella playfully rolled her eyes.

"Bad things happen when you do," she replied in a warning tone. The redhead scoffed.

"As if. Anyway, I was thinking about your new-found love of adrenaline and I found something…" The brunette shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she drove. Lucy bit her lip before continuing. "Motorcycles… Two of 'em." Carefully, she gauged Bella's reaction.

"Like… Actual motorbikes? Or like those scooter things?"

"You mean mopeds? No, actual motorcycles," Lucy chuckled.

"Okay…? Uhm well, what about it?" Bella had to ask. Something like anticipation was starting to bubble up in her stomach.

"Well, like I said, I remembered that you're like this badass thrill-seeker and found the bikes. They're real broken down and need a helluva lot of fixing up but it could be done. Not by me, of course, gosh no, but-"

"Cee, relax!" Bella finally broke in, laughing at how her friend was rambling. A glance her way showed that the redhead's cheeks were a little pink. It surprised the driver to find she thought it was cute. "I think I might actually know someone who could fix them up. Where are they? And how much are they?"

Lucy squealed and would have hugged her if it weren't for the slippery roads they were riding on. "Awesome! I already got them, borrowed Pop's truck to get 'em, and they're at my place! I found them yesterday."

Worry momentarily flashed against Bella's face. "It wasn't too expensive?"

"Nah, they were free," Lucy assured cheekily. "Someone from our school wanted to get rid of them before his dad got home- mother's orders. So we got us a project! And this friend… he- she-it won't have a problem?"

"Dunno, but we can pick them up and go over there. He lives in La Push. Jacob Black."

"Sounds mysterious." By now, they were passing Bella's house to head over to Lucy's. Lucy studied her friend's determined expression. She had found the motorcycles yesterday and forgot to mention them to Bee when she went over to her place. Maybe it wasn't necessarily a good idea to get the bikes, but she had been mulling over what she could do after the creep incident. If Charlie knew, he'd definitely hate her, which would suck since he seemed to like Lucy so much. But, whatever. She was pretty sure Charlie would prefer his daughter to ride a motorcycle by herself instead of with a creep she didn't know.

As soon as Bella pulled into Lucy's yard, they jumped out. Her pop wasn't home, as usual, but that was good in this case. She doubted he noticed the bikes, let alone cared. Not that he was a bad father or anything. He was just preoccupied. All the time.

Lucy led Bella around the house, where the two deathtraps sat rusting next to the back door. She ran a hand through her unbrushed hair in suspense. "What do you think?"

Bella shrugged passively. How should she know? "I guess we'll find out," she answered, finally looking at the girl next to her. A wave of gratitude rushed over her, but she was struggling with the thoughts battling in her head. Charlie would kill her. _He_ had asked for her to be safe. And she didn't even know if Jacob would be willing to help her. But the sound of his voice was something she had been craving. The nightmares were getting worse, like she was going through a withdrawal. The only thing keeping Bella afloat was the chubby 18-year-old redhead who dragged Bella out of her moping.

It was a struggle to get both bikes into the bed of Bella's truck. But it got done and they both felt a sense of accomplishment because of it. The half-hour it took for Bella to drive to La Push was filled with a strange mix of anticipation and calm. Lucy, who wasn't able to stand her hunger any longer, long since dug into one of the bags of chocolate chips, occasionally offering the driver some, and hummed random tunes on the way. Neither felt the need for conversation.

Jacob Black was incredibly handsome. Even Lucy had to admit that. He was tall and slightly muscular, looking like he stood a little over six feet. His black hair hung down his shoulders to frame his dark face. His eyes were his darkest feature but were also the lightest. Especially when he smiled like he did at Bella.

"Bella!" he exclaimed, rushing her into a hug. A twinge of jealousy flicked at Lucy, but it mostly went ignored. "What are you doing here?" he asked when he set her down. He looked curiously at Lucy, but she might as well have not been there at all. His eyes were only for Bella it seemed.

"Well, my friend Lucy and I found something and don't really know what to do with it," she answered with a small smile. "Then I remembered I have a genius mechanic friend who could maybe help me out."

"Well what is it?" he asked. Lucy, who didn't take well to being ignored, piped up.

"Bikes."

Jacob finally regarded Lucy's presence, but not without a certain endearing friendliness. His earlier stub was quickly forgotten with his smile. "Really? Motorbikes?"

Bella quickly cut in. "Yeah, I know it's reckless and stupid but we thought maybe it'd be a fun project." She looked hopefully up at her childhood friend. There was no way this boy could deny Bee anything when she looked like that, thought Lucy.

"That is reckless. Definitely stupid," Jacob answered, but he was still grinning. "When do we start?"

Bella and Lucy shared a look of excitement. "Now, if you want," said Bella with anticipation.

The two seniors moved to struggle with the vehicles again but Jacob was quick to lift them out, one by one, with ease that Lucy envied. Bella took the handles of one bike while Jacob took the other, leaving Lucy to follow behind with a strange dejected feeling. She had a hard time placing the reason behind it until they reached a broken-down shed behind the red house. After wheeling the bikes inside, Jacob started explaining why they were safe here, which was because of his father's wheelchair, and idly placed his large hand over the small of Bella's back while doing so. The shock of irritation and envy that shot through Lucy's system was alarming.

But, then, Lucy had never been good at sharing.

The rest of the day was spent with Lucy sitting protectively behind Bella on the table-part of a picnic bench while Jacob looked over the motorcycles and listed the parts they'd need. Bella dutifully wrote the items down on a piece of paper. It actually wasn't all that bad, if Lucy was honest. Sometimes Jacob forgot that Lucy was there in his excitement of being in the same room as Bella (he was so fucking obvious) but Bella always included her- it was scary how much it reminded them both of Lucy's first day of school in reversed roles.

Finally, it was getting dark and Lucy was starving and felt sick, considering she had finished off the other bag of chocolate chips and drank most of the milk she bought earlier. Jacob had offered chow a couple of times but Lucy didn't feel comfortable eating his food (call it petty but whatever). She was content with her chocolate as Jacob and Bella munched on a couple of sandwiches.

"Well I guess Cee and I should start heading back," Bella sighed, tilting her head back to look at the redhead sitting behind her. Lucy's face brightened at the idea.

"Awe, do you have to?" Jacob asked, almost whiningly. Lucy had the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him- she blamed the tone of voice he had.

"Cee hasn't eaten and she's usually starving," explained the brunette as she finally stood up. She hadn't realized she picked up on Lucy's quirks but she was pleased to discover that she had. Judging by the laugh behind her, she knew Lucy felt the same way.

"Do you want anything before you go?" the Quileute asked awkwardly. Lucy shook her head with a smile. She was just happy to finally be going home. Well, maybe. She might get the chance to spend the night with Bella again.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for letting me hang out, though," she replied pointedly. He had the decency to flush. Bella nudged her arm but Lucy only smiled innocently in return.

After Bella promised Jacob they'd go hunting for the necessary parts the next day, Lucy was finally curled up in the passenger seat of Bella's truck as her friend drove back towards Forks. The ride was quiet, but Lucy didn't mind. She knew Bella was thinking over some things, like Jacob's obvious crush and what she was getting herself into with the bikes. They didn't speak until they reached Bella's house.

"Are you spending the night again?" Bella asked, turning her head to look at her friend. It was dark outside but she could still see the redhead's blue eyes blink sluggishly. "You look tired."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," she replied with a yawn. "If that's alright with your dad."

Bella snorted. "You know Charlie loves you, right?" she asked, then rolled her eyes at Lucy's smug expression.

"Of course he does. What isn't there to love?"

They both left the truck, Lucy carrying what was left of their groceries from earlier that day inside. Charlie was in the living room, watching some sort of sport. After short greetings and Bella letting Charlie know Lucy was going to spend the night again, they put away the pancake mix and what was left of the milk, then carried themselves up the stairs to the small room.

Lucy immediately plopped down at the edge of her friend's bed and sprawled out. She loved being in Bella's room. It was so cute and clean- unlike Lucy's, which was bare and dark. Her "decoration" consisted of the aluminum foil she taped to her window to block out the light. And she wasn't even going to get started on the clothes and stuffed animals that littered the floor.

"It's only six o'clock, Cee," Bella laughed at Lucy's tired state, to which Lucy shrugged.

"It's bedtime somewhere in the world."

* * *

Bella and Jacob were becoming close friends and Lucy didn't know how she felt about it. Jacob was never mean to the redhead or intentionally ignored her, but it happened. He was starting to get as jealous over Lucy as she was over him. Well, good. Jacob may have been Bella's friend first but Lucy was better overall. After all, _she_ was the one who found the bikes. _She _was the one who reunited the two. Bella seemed sweetly oblivious of the unspoken rivalry between her two friends and neither Jacob nor Lucy was sure if that was for better or for worse.

It hadn't even taken a week of the La Push adventures before Lucy got bored and unattached her hip from Bella's- at least for a little while. From what she could tell, Bella wasn't too upset about it and had in fact understood where Lucy was coming from. So Lucy cut down the La Push adventures to every other day or so and instead opted to hanging out with Eric, who still had the best pot she ever smoked. Even when Eric and she didn't spend their afternoons together stoned and stuffed with food, they had a good time together. The rest of Lucy's friends mostly stayed reserved for school hours.

And then there was Mike.

When Lucy first moved back to Forks, she had actually enjoyed Mike's company. He was a little obnoxious and irritating, but overall a good laugh. But as Lucy started spending more time with Bella and, consequently, becoming more attached to her, she began getting annoyed with the affections Mike showed. Bella was obviously not even remotely interested in Mike Newton, but he still kept on and on. At least Jacob Black showed more constraint and respect.

Lucy was coping with it, though, by making subtle gestures that would have been clearly understood if she was a guy. Unfortunately, she wasn't endowed with _that_ kind of anatomy and any arm-around-the-shoulders' and handholding that took place wasn't considered a threat. On the plus side, it made Mike's harassing difficult for him to do when Lucy insisted on being locked by Bella's side. Because of this fact, Lucy wasn't too worried.

Until Friday at lunch.

"So I was thinking," Mike started in, leaning close to Bella. Lucy glared at him behind her dark sunglasses and cuddled closer to the brunette's side on the bench. "We should go see a movie." He was obviously talking to Bella and only Bella, batting his feminine lashes and running a hand through his 'styled' hair as he did so. However, Bella looked uncomfortable under his gaze, pushing Lucy into further agitation. Couldn't he just take a hint? At least Jacob didn't make Bella squirm and was unavoidably likable.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun, Mike! We could go tomorrow," Lucy butted in. For emphasis that would be lost on the moron, she wrapped her arm around Bella's small waist and lay her head down on her shoulder. She was rewarded with a slight glower frown the blonde and a thankful smile from the brunette. "You guys up for it?" she asked, glancing at the other three friends.

Mike was still staring at poor Bella, looking like a pitiful, kicked puppy begging for scraps. Bella's smile looked more like a grimace as she shrugged and agreed with Lucy, that it would be fun for the whole gang to go out.

"That new Japanese-turned-American horror flick is out," Lucy mentioned smugly. "The one about spooks? You mentioned wanting to see it, right Eric?"

Smiling, Eric nodded from across the table. "Yeah. Being Asian and all. Ghosts are sort of my thing."

"That's racist," scoffed Jessica.

"Not if I say it," Eric disagreed. Lucy high-fived him.

"Right, well, we can also invite Jacob. He's a real good friend of mine," Bella suggested, turning the attention back to her. Mike grumbled next to her; it was nice to see someone as jealous of Jacob as Lucy was, or so the redhead thought. It made her feel less pathetic.

"Luce," called Mike after the bell rang. The others were already standing from the table to leave but paused along with her. Bella glanced questionably at her, but she waved her on with a smile. Confrontation was in the air and Lucy didn't want Bella to have to witness that.

"Yeah, what's up, Mikey?" Lucy asked when everyone was out of earshot. She lifted her black beanie from the table and focused on putting it on neatly in order to avoid looking at him.

"Why did you _do_ that?" he demanded.

The redhead shrugged, still refusing to look at him. "Do what?"

"You know what, Luce. You can't not know how I feel about Bella."

"I dunno what you're talking about, Mike. I thought you were speaking in general about the movie thing. You don't have to be so hostile." Lucy finally met Mike's hard gaze with one of her own. She doubted he could see it from under her shades, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that Mike backed the fuck off Bella.

"And Bella isn't ready for a goddamn relationship, anyway. She's just getting over what's-his-tits, so cool it down. You're making her uncomfortable and you're never going to get a chance with her if you keep up your shit. If anything, I saved your ass, so you should be thanking me, Newton."

With that piece said, Lucy snatched up her messenger bag and stormed out the cafeteria, leaving her lunch tray and a very stunned Mike as she went.

As the day progressed, her mood decreased and shifted and spun around until she was dizzy with it. At first she was so angry, her hands were shaking in balled up fists. How dare Mike question her? How dare he even look at Bella? But then common sense started weighing in on her chest until she was almost hyperventilating in class. She was probably the biggest hypocrite ever to say those things to Mike. Wasn't her dislike for him and Jacob fueled by petty jealousy? Besides, if anyone had a chance with the lovely Swan, it was either one of them. Not Lucy.

It wasn't like Lucy was chin-deep in love with Bella. But there was something about the girl that made Lucy want to protect her and a little bit of romantic feelings were a given at that point.

So there you had it: Lucy Suzanna Mavrick was crushing on her current best friend. It was painful and stupid and horrible overall. The crush was small, but the jealousy? The jealousy was huge.

But, as stated before, at least Jacob had redeemable qualities. He was sweet and friendly and, when he didn't forget Lucy was in the room, warm to be around. Plus, he was fixing the motorcycles practically for free. Mike? He just stood around with a thumb up his ass, mooning over a girl he would never be good enough for.

And Lucy? Well Lucy was Bella's best friend and, as honorary best friend, it was her job to make sure to be there for the brunette- and sometimes that included acting like a guard dog. Lucy was definitely going to the movies tomorrow night and she was going to sit next to her best friend and make sure neither Newton nor Black did any funny business.

* * *

When Lucy woke up the next morning, her head was pounding and her throat burned all the way up to her nasal cavity. Eric was asleep beside her, cuddled into her side from the night before and looked perfectly content. Nowhere near as disgusting as Lucy felt at that moment. Sweat stuck her shirt to her body as well as made her jeans heavy under the covers. This made slipping out of the bed difficult, especially when she had to climb over her friend's sleeping form.

Eric had come over surprise-visit-style with Lucy's favorite gift after sensing the foul mood she had towards the end of the school day. Immediately, she had pulled him into her room, stuffed a towel under her closed door, and filled her bowl with the weed. Vaguely, Lucy could remember a phone call from Bella and something mentioned about fixed bikes, but the details were foggy. And if she and Eric had gotten as fucked up as she believed, it wasn't a surprise he had spent the night.

"Luce," came his groggy voice just as Lucy finally maneuvered herself off the bed.

"Yeah?" She wasn't surprised that her voice sounded as terrible as she felt.

"Damn."

"Yeah."

Nothing more was said between the two. Eric continued dozing off in her bed as she gathered raggedy red pajama pants (Dr. Pepper logoed) and a black shirt she received for donating blood a few years back. After snatching a pair of panties from her drawer, she scurried out of her room to attempt to shower the ickyness away. The shower was momentarily successful, even clearing her sinuses some. After getting dressed, she knotted her hair up in a bun on the top of her head, brushed her teeth, and headed to the kitchen to scavenge for food.

To her surprise, Eric was already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands. His eyes were still red and his movements were still sluggish. Maybe the smoked more than they thought.

"Mornin'," Lucy greeted dryly as she fixed her own coffee.

"You okay?" he asked, frowning. "You sound like shit."

"Just what every girl wants to hear," she croaked, plopping down on the chair next to him. Eric opened his mouth to say more, but then it stayed that way as his eyes slipped to her chest. Then he licked his lips, a blush that could rival Bella's blooming against his cheeks. Lucy looked down at her ample chest, and then blushed as well. But this was Eric Yorkie, her best friend next to Bella. She probably just caught him off guard with her lack of bra.

He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Uhm, uh, ahem! Well you sound sick. You gonna be okay for tonight?"

The redhead crossed her arms over her breasts and shrugged. "I dunno. I feel like poop."

"Well, if you can't go, I probably won't. I could take care of you," he suggested with a wink. Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed. If anything, at least Angela and Jessica would be there. They'd protect Bella. Right?

A phone call with Bella later that day said no- Jessica and Angela would _not_ be there.

"Yeah, I guess something's going around. So it'll just be me, Jacob, and Mike," Bella explained to Lucy. "You don't sound like you're feeling well. Do you want me to come over instead?"

Lucy took a moment to bat away her selfish needs. Of course she didn't want Bella to go. Mike was an asshole and Jacob was a cutie. That practically begged for disaster. But there was no _logical_ reason for Bella to stay when Eric was going to be around to play caretaker.

"No," she finally sighed. "I already conned Eric into being my slave. You go have fun. Just… not too much, woman."

Bella laughed. "Yeah, because I'm such a party animal."

"I know right? Better tone that shit down, Bee. Be safe."

When they hung up, Lucy sat her phone back down on the table with a scowl. This sucked. So much for being Bella's guard dog and protecting her virtue from the two guys practically obsessed with her. Not that Lucy believed either Jacob or Mike would actually try to steal Bella's virtue. But still. It sucked.

At least she had Eric, though, who was very attentive. He acted like he was eager to please Lucy in every way, always asking, "Luce, are you too warm? Too cold?" or "Luce, I can make you some tea or some more coffee!" Her favorite was, "Uh, Luce, I can cuddle with you… I mean if you want…"

Eric was just so adorable. It made the day easier to go through.

The next day, Lucy woke up next to him again, only she felt a ton better. She immediately rolled over his slumbering body, startling him awake in the process, and jumped to the nightstand, where her phone lay, charging. She snatched up the device and set to dialing the number she had taken to memorizing. When she dialed, the name Bee flashed onto the screen as it rang.

"Hello?" came the gruff voice of Chief Swan.

"Hey, Charlie! It's Lucy. Is Bella home?" she asked as she sat back on the edge of her bed.

"She is, but I think she's come down with something. Oh, here she is now."

Faintly, Lucy could hear Charlie tell Bella that she had a phone call before she greeted in much the same way her father did. Sometimes it was truly alarming how alike those two were.

"Hey, Bee! Just thought I'd call and see how the movies went."

"You sound a lot better," croaked Bella.

"Shit, are you sick?" Lucy asked worriedly. Maybe something _was_ going around. "Do you want me to come by? I'm actually doing a lot better. Must be one of those one-day things or something. I can go by there if you want. Or you can borrow Eric. He's a good nurse."

Lucy pointedly ignored Eric's protest in favor of her best friend's laugh.

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you're doing better, Cee. I think you're right. Mike ended up throwing up at the movies and Jacob said he wasn't feeling very well either. His dad said he was sick this morning."

"That sucks for them. I can kick their asses if you want. Y'know, for getting you sick."

"No," Bella sighed. "I'm sure they're suffering enough. Besides, how do you know you're not the one who got me sick?"

Lucy pouted. "I guess I don't. If you don't trust me." She sniffed dramatically. "Anyway, Bee, I'll let you go be sick in peace. Hope you feel better soon, babe."

When they hung up, Lucy flopped onto her back on the bed, Eric's stomach getting laid on in the process. He made an "oof" noise that went ignored by Lucy's heavy sigh. She turned her head to look at him.

"What shall we do today?"

* * *

Bella and Lucy had been right about it being a 24-hour bug and were fine enough to go to school the next day. Throughout the school day, and even at lunch, Mike rarely looked at Bella, let alone talked to her, and Bella was acting _weird_. Like something had happened and didn't want to talk about it. For the first few periods, Lucy let it go and acted like everything was alright. When lunch came around and Bella was still acting strange, the redhead began to get suspicious. And then when school ended, she confronted her friend.

"Bee! Bee, wait up," she called, jogging through the rain to catch up with Bella. People gave her a few odd looks as she jogged past. Maybe they were still surprised about hers and Bella's friendship. Or maybe the just never saw a fat kid run before.

Bella was smiling when the redhead finally reached her and the truck, amused by the melodramatic panting Lucy was engaging in. Well, Bella assumed it was just dramatic, but she had come to learn that Lucy went through a pack of cigarettes in three days- and apparently that was _after_ the chimney had cut down.

"Mother of God," the sweating redhead panted, slipping her trademark beanie off as she bent over and placed her hands on her knees. "This? Will never happen again," she wheezed. "Fuck that. I hate running. Why'd you have to park so far away?"

"Sorry. Are you okay?"

Lucy stood up straight, smiling, though she was still panting a little. "Yeah, mostly just being dramatic- as per usual." Bella rolled her eyes. Huh, seemed like Lucy was the only one she directed that to.

"You've been weird today. What happened?"

Bella shrugged, looking down to her feet, and began to fidget. Her face was turning a cute shade of pink and her brown eyes were obscured by the thick lashes that framed them. It almost made the chubbier of the two feel bad. But then Bella ran her hand through her thick hair, a very Lucy thing to do (or so Lucy thought), and it revealed something that made her stomach drop.

"What the fuck happened to your head, Bee?" Lucy demanded, immediately rushing to worry over her. Her hands softly brushed the white medical tape, jerking her hands back at the brunette's flinch. She settled for pulling the taller girl into a short hug.

"Uh, well I told you Friday that Jacob finished the bikes-"

"Oh, shit, you did? Damn."

"-and you said you couldn't move. What was wrong with you anyway? Were you sick then, too?" At Lucy's embarrassed shrug, Bella continued. "So Jacob and I went ahead to try them out."

Lucy waited a moment for Bella to say more but she only shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "that's all there is to it."

"And that just magically appeared on your head? Bella, double-you-tee-eff?"

Bella groaned. "I went a little fast, hit the brakes suddenly, then face-planted into a rock. I needed seven stitches."

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?" Lucy demanded.

"It didn't seem that important. And you sounded out of it when I called the first time."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Bella just shrugged. "But I know that's not why you've been so weird," she continued, shaking her head to get her mind straight.

"Uh the whole movie thing with Jake and Mike was weird. It was like the first day of school all over again," the brunette finally admitted. "And Jacob hasn't been returning my calls. He said to stay away from him until he calls back, but he hasn't."

Once again, Lucy pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm sure he was just looking out for you, Bee," she murmured in Bella's shoulder. "As soon as he's better, he'll be up your ass again like nothing ever happened." That got a laugh out of her.

* * *

The week was a long one. It started off with Jacob being sick, but by Wednesday, he was allegedly better, but hanging out with friends- or so his father said. To be honest, Lucy didn't even know he had friends other than Bella- other than those two nice gentlemen she met that one time she was over there. But they didn't count because it was obvious Bella trumped all in his eyes.

Anyway, Bella had tried to find him with Lucy tagging along, but instead met up with Quil- who said Jacob had joined Sam's Gang. Lucy had no idea what they were on about. That little information must have come from one of those days Lucy wasn't around. From the horror on Bella's face, however, Lucy knew it was something bad.

Later that same day, Bella dropped Lucy off with a lame excuse of errands she forgot she had to run. While the redhead was skeptical, she didn't say anything. It wasn't her place and the last thing Bee needed was the pushed into saying something she didn't want to. For the first time that week, Lucy spent the night in her own house.

The next day, however, she was back at Bella's place. Thursday was study-day, anyway, so Lucy was going to be there regardless after school. As usual, they sat at the table with their text books open, but Bella was quieter than normal. It was driving Lucy crazy to be this useless. Her best friend needed someone, but Lucy was powerless to help. As much as it hurt her, Lucy wasn't Jacob and that was who she needed. Not Lucy.

"Are you spending the night?" Bella asked suddenly. Lucy looked up from her paper, startled at the question.

"If you want me to," she replied self-consciously, sliding her arms from the table to her lap.

Maybe Lucy was just being a bad friend and that was what the problem was. She didn't have a knack for cheering people up, like Jacob did. All she could do was act like an idiot and make someone laugh. That and offer pot. And even Lucy knew that she abused that. Jacob was necessary to Bella's happiness, unlike the redhead, whose answer to everything was a fat joint and a cigarette.

"Of course," Bella said smiling now. "We have that English test tomorrow. Might as well study all night, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Lucy scoffed, matching Bella's smile despite her negative thoughts. "But, uh… we're not seriously going to study, are we?"

Bella crinkled her nose like she was disgusted. "You mean that's not why you want to be around me?"

"Pft, no," snorted Lucy. "I only want your hot bod."

"Do I have to be worried?" Lucy and Bella looked to the entrance of the kitchen, both blushing profusely to find that Charlie had overheard their joking. Despite her embarrassment, Lucy grinned.

"Why, no, Charlie. Bee and I always use protection."

His face ended up being the redder of the three of them as he sputtered and left the room, mumbling something along the lines of, "I will never understand." The teenagers' roaring laughter followed him as he went.

Later that night, after dinner was done, the kitchen was cleaned, and Lucy was wearing her black Skelanimal pajamas that she kept stashed in Bee's room, the two seniors were curled up on the sofa, watching a horror movie Lucy had brought over. After their earlier laughs, Bella had sunk back into mostly-silence, but it was a more comfortable kind. Like she was more content than she was a few hours before. Lucy liked to think that it was because Bella was curled up into her side, but the distraction of gore and a jar of peanut butter split between them was probably what really did the trick.

Halfway through the movie, Bella fell asleep with her head pillowed by her friend's chest. Lucy didn't mind at all and took to idly playing with the thick, brown hair as she continued watching the movie. During a particularly cheesy part, where the serial killer almost slit the hero's throat, Bella began to stir in her sleep, but Lucy thought nothing of it. Maybe the noise was getting on her nerves, thought the redhead, taking the remote and turning the volume down. Even after, though, Bella was still restless.

"Bee?" she called softly, lightly shaking her shoulder. "Bee, you need to wake up." Bella's face scrunched up and tears escaped her closed eyes, accompanied by sobs. "Bella! Wake up," Lucy said with more force. It sounded like tiny screams were trying to find their way out of Bella. Finally, Lucy lost all forms of gentleness and roughly shook her awake.

"Isabella Marie Swan!"

Her eyes snapped open to reveal potent confusion that was swiftly washed away with more tears as her arms wrapped back around Lucy's shoulders.

A half hour went by like that, with Bella sobbing into Lucy's shoulder and Lucy murmuring song lyrics softly in her ear. Words like, "_pale memories of someone you knew, keep crawling through the back of your mind, stealing time_," were repeated through the kisses she'd place on her friend's head.

The credits of the movie were rolling when Bella finally pulled away and wiped her eyes. "W-what song was that?" she asked, sniffling.

"Today Will Be Better, I Swear," Lucy replied as she pushed the damp hair from Bella's face. "By Stars," she explained further at her puzzled expression.

"Bee... I know you don't like talking about this stuff but maybe you should. Just for a little bit. It might make you feel better."

Sitting back on her side of the couch, Bee's contemplation was clear on her face. Finally, she sighed with an embarrassed expression.

"I… Don't think I'll ever be over E- … Edward." She spoke so softly that Lucy had to strain to hear. "It feels like this hole has been punched in my chest. And it's never going to heal. And Jacob… Jacob helped fill that hole, at least a little bit. The whole adrenaline thing, though? Edward made me promise to keep myself out of danger- for _Charlie's_ sake," she laughed bitterly. "But I can hear him. I know it's crazy, Cee. I know I should be locked up but I can _hear him_ when I put myself in danger. I don't know…"

A pregnant silence fell over the two, the only sound being the occasional hiccup or sob from Bella and the options-screen music from the DVD. Both girls were deep in thought, pondering what Bella just said.

No, Lucy didn't think Bella was crazy. She had already known that this adrenaline shit had to do with what's-his-tits, but that as none of her business. What her business was was to ensure Bella stayed safe and to try to make her a little happier- be a good friend, which was what the broken brunette needed more than anything right now. But Lucy didn't know how to deal with this stuff. She wasn't good at advice or meaningful talks. Sure, she could pretend to be wise when she was high, but that was about it. She couldn't even fix her own problems- the ones she had been running from since she discovered pot.

Despite her better judgment, the redhead finally spoke.

"Wanna try something new?"

Bella looked up, confused at the sudden question. Wanna try something new? Like being not miserable? She mentally scoffed. She tried that.

But Lucy's face had a certain somberness to it that was rarely there. What had the redhead resigned herself to that made her look like that? Bella wondered. "W-what are you talking about?" she finally asked, blinking through her tears.

"I'm talking about…" The redhead paused to take a breath. "I'm talking about marijuana, Bella. It's… not a permanent solution," she said slowly, "but it helps. Me, at least."

"I didn't know… had no idea…" Bella started with her mouth agape. Now that she thought about it, it made sense, though. Lucy's eyes were often drooped and glazed, sometimes even red, and she often stared off into space. Sometimes her movements were slowed and she smelled strange- though Bella originally wrote it all off as cigarettes and insomnia. On the opposing side, though, there were times where Lucy's eyes were simultaneously alert and agitated, like she was impatient for something. Like pot.

Lucy's laugh was a dry one. "You really didn't? Bee, I'm high like seventy-five-percent of the time. I smoke more weed than I do cigarettes."

"Well yeah, now that you mention it, I just… never realized, I guess." Lucy shrugged, lightly, but there was a slight fear on her face that Bella caught. "It was just surprising at first," she had to assure with a weak smile.

"Do you want to?" Lucy asked again. She looked worried, but whether it was because she thought Bella would say no or over her general well-being, the brunette didn't know.

"I don't want to get addicted to anything, Cee," she stated. Lucy could see she wanted to, though. Anything to lose some of the pain.

"Pot isn't addictive. Habitual. But not addictive."

"I… yeah. Yes. I want to try it."

"Then let's go," said Lucy softly, standing and pulling Bella up off the couch. Without letting her hand go, the redhead led Bella to the bedroom to retrieve her purse, then back down the stairs, outside, and to her little car. She finally let Bella's hand go when she opened the passenger door for her. In no time at all, she was sitting in the driver's seat and pulling out of the driveway, destined to go to her house.

Bella didn't say anything at all. But she wasn't all that nervous, surprisingly. She trusted Lucy with her life and knew that her friend would never do anything to hurt her. It was just how Lucy was. So if Lucy offered drugs as a sort of medication to Bella's heartache, so be it. Obviously, it was doing Lucy some sort of good.

The drive was short and, soon enough, Lucy was pulling Bella into her own home. The lights were out and her pop's snores could be heard, which was perfect. They went into Lucy's room, where the redhead closed the door, then set to pulling out all she would need- her bowl, a nick, and a grinder. She shoved them into a little Ziploc bag, then shoved that into her purse before pulling Bella back outside to her car.

"Where do you want to go for this? It needs to be somewhere you feel safe, or else you'll get paranoid.

"I know a spot. Let me drive."

That's how they ended up in the outskirts of Forks, at this beautiful almost glass house. It looked abandoned and the grass was wild around it. A look of pain and contentedness mixed haphazardly on Bella's face as they looked around from inside the car.

"We can just stay in here," Lucy suggested. Bella nodded.

"Then let's get started."

Bella was a fast learner. Lucy only had to show her once how to wrap her hand around the bowl and place her thumb over the hole, then release it after letter the herbs burn. Of course, Bella coughed at first, but Lucy had a bottle of water prepared for that.

And then they were both on cloud nine.

* * *

**AN: Hello! I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed my story. It really meant a lot to me. I know this is different and Bella is a little out of character. I also wanted to explain a couple of things, if you'd allow me to.**

**First of all, Lucy isn't gay. No one has asked me that, but I figured I'd go ahead and clear that up with saying that she's bi-sexual. There isn't going to be complications with her sexuality in terms of her being with Paul.**

**Second of all, I've realized that a lot of the things I put in this chapter seem useless, but they're not supposed to be. If you look close enough, you should be able to see that they're there to show you what the characters and relationships are like.**

**Third of all, Bella **isn't** going to become a pothead. Bella's not the kind of person to cry on everyone's shoulder when she's going through something, so the fact that she did with Lucy was supposed to show how torn up Bella really is. Lucy's not good with dealing with things, not even other's, so that's what she offered. I just felt that if Bella was in enough pain to cry on someone's shoulder instead of "suffer in silence," she'd be desperate enough to try and reprieve that pain a little.**

**I hope that this isn't too far out there. If it is, please kindly let me know (I don't do well with mean criticism), but I **do** want to know your opinions. Even if it's just to tell me that something doesn't add up or that someone is too out of character. Anyway, I appreciate everything, especially your time. Enjoy your day.**


	3. Wolf Girls

**Chapter Three: In which Lucy and Bella skip school to become Wolf Girls.**

**AN: I don't own squat.**

* * *

Angry music played softly in Lucy's car as she drove ten miles over the speed limit with a cigarette laced with pot in her hand. Bella was seated on the passenger's side, biting her nails and fidgeting restlessly. She didn't even mind the music playing and, instead, let it fuel the ire churning in her stomach. It was hard to believe that after feeling so great last night and this morning, she could be this angry. The brunette had woken up in her bed with Lucy, still groggy from the drugs last night, but feeling more optimistic than she had in a while. Maybe she was still a little out of it when she called Jacob with the hope that things had suddenly changed. But when Jacob answered the phone, only to tell her that he was done with her, everything crashed back down around her.

If Lucy hadn't had been there, there was no telling what Bella would have done, like possibly getting a concussion if Lucy hadn't had been there to catch her as she collapsed beneath her grief and onto the kitchen floor. It had taken the redhead two hours to calm her friend down, which was when she pulled Bella into her little car.

Neither knew what they were going to do if Jacob was even there, but something _had_ to be done. Lucy couldn't stand seeing Bella like this and Bella couldn't stand this misery any longer. So instead of staying sad, Bella got angry.

They got there in fifteen minutes.

As soon as Lucy pulled over in the yard, Bella jumped out into the rain, stormed up the front steps, and knocked on the door, maybe a little harder than necessary. By now, Lucy was almost relaxed, allowing the weed to smooth her ruffled feathers. She lit a regular cigarette as she waited for Bella to come back out. Music was still playing softly throughout the small vehicle to offer further comfort for the redhead.

In her particular state of mind, waiting for Bella seemed to take forever, but her blue eyes were glued to the car's clock- only two minutes had passed before Bella was stumbling out of the house, looking… well, looking similar to how she looked this morning. She tripped and skidded through the wet grass back towards the black car, making Lucy wonder if she wasn't cold. With that thought in mind, the worried teenager twisted in her seat to pick up her jacket from the back seat for her friend. When she turned back around, Bella was nowhere close to the car, like Lucy would have assumed.

Startled, the girl scanned the yard from her car, only to see that the petite brunette was marching towards a group of shirtless, giant men that were emerging from the tree line. Actually, the way Bella held her chin up and shoulders back with confidence Lucy had never seen on her made the redhead feel proud. But those men were huge and scary looking and Bella looked _pissed_. Surely that was a recipe for disaster.

A swell of panic briefly broke through her languid state as she struggled with the car handle, fell out of the vehicle, and then scrambled to her best friend's side, losing her cigarette in the process.

"Bella! What the hell are you doing? Are you _high?_" Lucy demanded only to be ignored as they approached the men.

There were four of them. Despite the rain that sent Lucy into shivers, all they wore were cut-off shorts- no shirts, no shoes, nothing. Vaguely, the redhead wondered if they wore underwear. All of them were tall, each over six feet. Their shoulders were wide and thick, cording muscles down their arms as they moved, and their stomachs reminded the redhead of the covers of those romance novels her mother read.

"What did you do to him!" Bella shouted when they were in ear-shot. The four men lost any trace of amusement, a very somber expression sliding onto their faces. They looked so much alike, it was scary.

"What _we_ did! Why don't you ask your _leeches_ what _they_ did!" snapped one of the men around the same time the bigger of the group asked what Jacob had told her.

"He won't tell me anything because he's so afraid of you!" Bella replied to the bigger one. Her face was almost as red as Lucy's dyed hair and her chest was heaving slightly with the raw anger. Lucy had never seen Bella like this, albeit that didn't actually know each other all that long. But the sight was enough for Lucy to snatch Bella's balled-up fist into her own hand in attempt to offer some sort of comfort. If she thought it would do any good, she would have tried to tug her away from the men. A couple of them were starting to shake as well.

The first giant who spoke laughed sardonically at Bella's reply, serving to make her face even redder. Lucy felt the heat rush to her own cheeks and finally tugged her friend back a little. His laugh felt like hot coals down her back. Who the hell was he?

"You don't know anything, you stupid little girl, so why don't you run back to your fucking leeches!" he demanded, stepping closer to the two girls. Lucy stepped closer to him as well and pulled the shivering brunette behind her. The look of horror and the hot color suddenly leaving Bella's face finally sent that last cut of rage through Lucy's system. She may not have known what he meant by anything he was saying, but she'd be damned before she'd let that slide.

"You must have us fucked up with someone else, you ignorant shit," Lucy ground out, letting go of Bella's hand to shove the bulking figure away from them. When he didn't budge, the redhead drew back her hand before letting it achingly connect with his face.

Everything was moving so slow to Lucy, like everything dragged around her. Even her thoughts were moving at a snail's pace as she thought dimly about regretting the pot she smoked before this confrontation. The man's shaking increased to seizure-like convulsions, there was a shout to run, and Bella was pulling Lucy backwards by her tank-top. She stumbled back a few feet before finally falling on her ass with a squelch from the wet ground and water soaking her pajama bottoms. A whoosh of brown flew from above and strips of what appeared to be denim fell around the two girls.

And then there were wolves.

A reddish-brown wolf and a silvery one, both the size of fucking _bears_ were going at it with big teeth and snarls and claws and- "Bee, I think that pot was laced with something."

Her friend's cold hands settled at her shoulders in a sad attempt at comfort. "I don't think so, Cee," she replied before fully wrapping her arms around the redhead to pull her into a hug.

The largest man looked angry, minus the shaking, but he also looked like the most in control. "Jared, Embry, take them to Emily's. I'm going to try to break this up." One of those giants was _Embry_? The man ran into the woods after the wolves.

"Guess the wolf is out of the bag," one of the giants said- actually, now that Lucy looked closer, he _did_ look like Embry. Just a buffed-up version.

"Shut up, Embry."

"Did you see how fast he phased, though? He's totally got Paul beat," Embry laughed.

"What, are you kidding?" asked Jared, appalled. "Paul was mad enough to kill."

Bella's arms tightened around Lucy's shoulders- a sign that the brunette was getting worried.

"C'mon, ten dollars says Jacob wins," said Embry, holding out his hand. Jared shook it.

"Deal."

"M-Mad enough to kill?" Bella wondered. At the devastated tone, Lucy took one of the hands over her chest and squeezed.

"They'll be okay, Bells," said Embry as Jared took Lucy's free hand to pull her up. Bella followed the motion as well. "This fight was long coming… are you going to be sick?" he asked, suddenly looking concerned.

Lucy turned around to give her friend a long look. She was paler than usual and her eyes were wide with fright. "Fuck," muttered the redhead before pulling the brunette into a hug. "He's going to be fine. Let's just go, alright? I've got you, Bee."

She pulled away slightly but kept her hands on Bella's shoulders as if to steady her, and Bella jarringly nodded.

"Is that your ride?" asked one of the giants. Lucy turned her head to look at them motioning to her car. Would they even fit in that?

"Yeah."

"Keys?" asked Jared. Lucy's eyebrow quirked.

"We're not going to bite you, Luce," Embry tried to comfort at her expression, to which Jared scoffed and mumbled something along the lines of "speak for yourself."

"Keys are in the car," the redhead finally said. She let her grip fall from Bella's shoulders, only to take one of Bella's hands into her own and didn't let go until she was about to slip into the driver's seat. Jared stopped her.

"Bella looks like she's going to be sick. Why don't you sit in the back with her?" he suggested, grabbing her arm to stop her. Lucy glanced at his hand, then back to his face.

"You crash it and I'll smother you in your sleep," Lucy warned before straightening up and leading Bella in the back. She slid to the other side and pulled her friend's head into her lap. "Just lay for a bit, Bee."

The ride was short, but filled with Jared's and Embry's chatter. Bella and Lucy remained quietly preoccupied with their thoughts. Sort of. All Lucy could coherently think about was how much she wanted a cigarette.

After they pulled over in front of a wooden house, the four of them slipped out of the car. Lucy had her old _Nightmare Before Christmas_ jacket in her hands for Bella to slip on. She handed it to her friend wordlessly, then brushed past Jared to the driver's side to scavenge for her cigarettes.

"You coming in?" one of the boys asked. Lucy didn't pay attention to whom.

"Nope," she answered, popping the p. "I do believe I deserve a cigarette." The redhead sat in the driver's seat with her legs hanging out of the side of the car, the pack and lighter in her hands. She fumbled with pulling a cigarette out and struggled with lighting it. Why the hell were her hands so damn shaky? It wasn't until she sniffled that she realized she was crying.

Shit.

"Fuck," she hiccupped, rolling her watery eyes. She dropped the unlit cigarette and lighter back in her lap to bring her hands to her face.

While Embry and Jared exchanged bewildered looks, Bella rushed in front of her friend, where she kneeled and pulled the shaky hands from the redhead's face. This was such an overwhelming turn of events, thought Bella. The brunette was good with weird- hell, she _dated_ weird. And after Jacob and Paul turned into wolves, Bella had suddenly remembered the stories Jacob had told her last year. The shock had mostly worn off by the time they got to this house but she didn't even think about Lucy's feelings. It was just so easy to forget the redhead didn't know the things Bella did.

"Cee, look at me," whispered Bella. Lucy's blue eyes were glistening and her light eyelashes were thickened with her tears. Seeing such a cheery person upset was, well, upsetting.

"It's going to be okay. Let's just go. I've got you, Cee," she said, repeating what Lucy had told her not fifteen minutes ago. Lucy let out a shaky breath and nodded. After wiping away the traces of tears from her cheeks and eyes, she allowed Bella to pull her up.

"Well," started Embry awkwardly, "Emily's probably got something cooking so…" Lucy only swallowed and tightened her grip on Bella's hand.

"Just don't stare," Jared offered, but he was already heading towards the house before he could see the girls' puzzled expressions.

The woman, who they guessed was Emily, was on the other side of the kitchen island with her head down as she worked on sorting through large muffins. At the slam of the screen door behind the four entering, she looked up to reveal three large scars marring the right side of her face. Lucy, who was convincing herself that her pot had been laced with acid or something, bit her lip and squeezed her friend's hand harder. Emily smiled, despite the scars, and reality slapped the redhead in the face.

"Hello!" the woman cheerfully greeted, seeming only a little surprised to see Bella and Lucy.

"This is Bella Swan," Jared started, brushing past the mentioned girl to sit at the table loaded with a pile of muffins. "And… Actually, who are you?" he asked the redhead, turning slightly to look at the redhead.

"Lucy," she answered with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, that," he told Emily, who smacked his arm. Lucy cracked a small smile.

"So are you a vampire girl, too?" Emily asked Lucy directly. A confused expression crossed her face at the question. There couldn't possibly be anymore monsters in the world, right? _Vampires_? And what did she mean by "too?" The redhead looked at Bella, who appeared embarrassed.

"Lucy doesn't know anything," the brunette answered for her friend. She felt bad that Lucy was going into this completely ignorant. She had seen the look of horror that flashed on her face at the word. In her guilt, Bella refused to meet the redhead's questioning gaze. "Are you all… wolves?"

Emily laughed as she went back to fussing over her muffins. "No, I'm just engaged to one. How did you find out about it all?"

If possible, Bella's face reddened even more. All she could do was sputter, so Lucy took her turn and answered for her.

"We actually came for a confrontation with the little shit. Fighting with the others just sort of happened," she answered, nodding her head towards the two men wolfing down the muffins.

"Save some for your brothers!" Emily snapped, before turning back to the two girls. "So the wolf is out of the bag?"

"Embry already used that," Jared snorted.

"Well, I can tell you that Jacob wasn't allowed to be around Bella anymore. That's why he blew you off. For your protection, though," Embry defended his best friend.

"Wasn't allowed?" Bella asked.

"Yeah. Alpha's orders. When Sam orders us to do something, we gotta do it."

"That blows," muttered Lucy, who was then distracted by Emily appearing in front of her and her friend with a couple of muffins.

"Please make yourself at home. Come sit down," she suggested. Bella and Lucy shuffled further into the kitchen-slash-dining room, but didn't sit down. Their hands were still connected like they were each other's lifeline in this mess.

"Also, we can read each other's minds when we're wolves," Embry explained further. "It's annoying sometimes, but it's necessary."

"Shut up, Embry," Jared snapped. "This chick runs with vampires and you're telling her all our pack secrets!" Lucy flinched at the word.

"You can't really run with vampires," Bella cut in. Lucy looked at her, wide-eyed. Bella was still avoiding her gaze, though her grip on her hand never loosened. "'Cause they're fast."

Jared leaned forward towards the girls with a very confident air around him. "Yeah? Well we're faster. Freaked out yet?" Bella only shrugged.

"Jake was right. You _are_ good with weird," laughed Embry. Bella shrugged again.

"I'm going to go outside," Lucy said very quietly before she unlocked her fingers from Bella's and shuffled away. Her head was hurting and she needed that cigarette she didn't give to herself earlier. Emily asked if she was okay with a motherly expression, but Lucy couldn't answer. She didn't know if she was okay. She just knew that she needed to get out of this room. Jared wordlessly threw her her keys.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Bella asked, already moving to follow. Lucy shook her head, whispering that it was cold outside, then slipped out before anything more could be said.

Lucy curled up in her front seat, finally getting the nicotine she so badly desired. Her knees were pressed between the steering wheel and her chest to serve as a rest for her chin. Her right arm was caught beneath her bosom, smooshed against her tummy and thighs while her left hand was what maneuvered the cigarette to and from her mouth, and letting the same arm hang limply beside her otherwise. Since the door was still open, her entire left side was getting wetter from the rain in the process.

"You're going to get sick."

Lucy averted her gaze to see the torso of one of the giants- wolves- whatever they were- before he bent at the waist to lean his arms against the roof of her car so that she could see his face. The redhead blinked in surprise to find the very man she had slapped. In the haze that was slowly slipping away, she couldn't help but find him beautiful, even if he looked like a petulant kid resigned to being punished.

"You're one to talk," she replied, bringing the cigarette to her mouth.

"I don't get sick. It's part of the deal." He looked so angry and bitter that something twitched in her chest. She took the time to exhale the smoke to mull over this, and then made extra time to immediately inhale more. "And you're going to get cancer!" he snapped.

The cigarette was snatched from her mouth in such a quick motion, Lucy was left distorted. She blinked owlishly at him, willing for the irritation to rise back up like in their last encounter. But the redhead was emotionally drained and felt completely mind-fucked. Dealing with this was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Are you done?" she sighed, allowing what was left of the smoke in her lungs to exit as she spoke. "I sure as hell am."

"Why are you even in your pajamas?" he demanded instead of answering. "You have to be freezing and you're soaked! Don't you have a jacket or something?"

"Sorry, _daddy_, I was preoccupied with learning the Jolly Green Giant Gang turns into fucking _wolves!_"

Did he just _growl_ at her?

Paul Lahote did in fact growl at her. If she was annoyed, he was frustrated- if not outright mad. He just had so much to be mad about at the moment: he was mad that he didn't know this girl's name; mad that she smelled like cigarettes and marijuana; mad that she was soaking wet from the rain; mad that her clothes consisted of a black tank-top and pajama bottoms which didn't hide much; mad that she had slapped him; and mad that she was so sarcastic.

Everything had happened so quickly for the wolf. One minute he was yelling at that leech lover, only vaguely taking note of the mixed scent of weed, tobacco, and chocolate-mint, then he was staring in large blue eyes with black faintly smeared around them the next. It had felt like his gut and heart was wrenching from his body to gravitate towards this short girl with messy, unnatural red hair, as if saying "I'm yours." The world had felt like it was distorted and spinning around him, but he was steady and structured because she had been there to anchor him.

But he wasn't mad about that. Never about that.

When she had slapped him, he was already at the breaking point of his temper. The surprise of having just imprinted had shocked him out of any self-control he was using, and that was when he phased. He had never been so grateful to Jacob Black, who had managed to fight Paul off into the woods and away from the redhead.

Sam had them calm down, made Jacob explain what Bella and the redhead was doing here, and then they were on their way back to Emily's. He had hoped she was still there as well as eager to see her if she was, which prompted the smoothest wolf-to-man transition he had ever made. It usually took so long to phase back on account of always being so angry. But possibly seeing her trumped any anger he had had.

If Jacob or Sam noticed anything off, they didn't mention it. They were probably preoccupied with their own thoughts that were infinitely less important than whom this girl was; Paul didn't care about Bella finding out about their secret or the leeches in the area. He cared about getting to know his imprint and seeing her face and _knowing her name, damn it_.

"This is lame," the girl finally sighed, bringing Paul out of his thoughts. Her feet slid from the seat to the floor of the car so that she was sitting correctly before she turned slightly towards the wolf. A jolt of excitement ran through his body as she did so, but he couldn't decide why. Her ample breasts almost spilling out of her top might have had something to do with it.

He automatically moved a bit to the side to allow her the room to get out of her car and followed her into the house as she moved, his eyes never once leaving her person.

Her body was cute with just enough chub to make her look huggable. She had a little muffin top that was overshadowed by her breasts, and her hips that swelled to love-handles meant for gripping. Even in the thin, black pajama bottoms, her ass was clearly defined and looked to be very squeezable. To top it all off, her skin was smooth except for the occasional beauty mark found in very kissable places- such as the crook of her shoulder and neck.

Paul couldn't tear his eyes away. His imprint was so perfect- from the way her hips would naturally swing as she walked to the way her rosebud mouth pouted when she turned to find that he was staring. He only averted his gaze when he sensed she was getting uncomfortable and even that was difficult to do. He couldn't prevent himself from stealing glances, however.

Jared was the first to notice something was off about Paul and proceeded to nudge his alpha. When Sam raised an eyebrow at Jared, the latter nodded to the third in command, who was gazing adoringly at Lucy. Immediately, Sam knew what was going on. He glanced at his own imprint, who was busying herself with the muffins, then at Bella, who aimed a bewildered expression to the newly imprinted wolf.

This was going to be a disaster.

"You ready to go home?" Lucy asked as she neared Bella. Jacob, who was standing next to the brunette, rolled his eyes. Still jealous, I see, Lucy thought as she returned the favor. "I can wait if you're not, but I have something I got to do." That was a lie and both of them knew it. Bella might have been comfortable with the existence wolves and vampires and whatever else was out there, but Lucy needed more pot for her to be able to cope with this.

Or maybe she had smoked too much and this was the result.

"Lucy, why don't you stay for dinner?" Emily suggested, having caught Paul's line of vision. A questioning glance at her fiancé and a nod confirmed from him what she suspected.

Lucy opened her mouth to politely decline but Sam beat her to it. "You really should, Lucy. Some things could stand to be explained to you." There was a sense of finality in his voice, but that pricked at Lucy rather than resigned her.

"I'm sure Bee can fill me in," she insisted. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Won't even blog about it."

"Of course you won't," chirped Emily, making her way to Lucy. She took the redhead's hand and led her to the table, where she pulled out an empty chair and pushed her to sit. "But you're probably hungry and it looks like Bella is going to be here for a while. There's no rush, is there?"

"Uh, school?" Lucy suggested desperately. The school day was already half over, but Lucy would go and face the consequences of skipping (_for _this _bullshit_, she thought bitterly) if that meant getting to leave.

"We've already missed half the day, Cee," Bella piped up unhelpfully, only to chuckle when her best friend shot her an exasperated glare.

Before Lucy could offer any more excuses, a large, fresh muffin was placed in front of her and she remembered that yes, she was still high, which entailed The Munchies and, yes, she was most definitely hungry. She hesitantly picked it up and brought it to her face, breathed in its aroma, and then finally bit into it. She almost moaned as the taste of chocolate chips and muffin melted in her mouth to wash over her heightened taste buds.

"Mother of God, I could marry you," she sighed before taking another bite. Emily giggled and blushed at the compliment.

"Ah, but I'm already engaged."

"Well if things don't work out, I'll give you my number," Lucy said with a wink after she swallowed.

And that was how Lucy Mavrick was suckered into staying a few more hours in La Push.

Within those few hours, she learned that vampires did, indeed, exist, and that was why there were big-ass wolves running around- Lucy's words. She discovered that Bella had been saved by the wolves before, on one of the days the redhead was getting stoned with Eric instead of taking care of her best friend like she should have been. Not only that but, after Bella came back with Jacob (after they had left for a bit so they could talk privately), it was revealed that _another_ vampire was out to kill her. The reason why was unclear to Lucy, but she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Well we could use her as bait," Paul suggested.

"You shut your whore mouth!" Lucy snapped the same time Jacob threw a can opener at his head. Unfortunately, Paul caught it easily, though his expression was dismal. Kicked-puppy eyes stared at her from across the table.

"Lucy," Bella hissed, red-faced and amazed. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You can't seriously be okay with being used as _bait_, Bee!"

"Well if it's effective in stopping this vampire, who's _murdering _a bunch of hikers, why not? She'd be safe," defended Paul. Lucy turned back to him with the meanest glower she could muster.

"Listen, ass-hat, your opinion holds about zero value right now."

Lucy didn't like being mean or rude, but the idea of Bella being in that kind of danger made her insides turns to ice. It was bad enough that this psycho vampire was after her best friend; there was just no way Lucy could cope with her being used as bait, too. And she had to be honest: Bella didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to avoiding disasters.

Paul was shaking slightly in his chair and he looked more angry than upset. If looks could kill, Lucy would have probably been on her way to the morgue by now. He didn't intend to be glaring at his imprint, but how could she speak to him like that? Didn't she realize that his plan was probably best? Besides, Bella was a leech lover and by her being around, there were always going to be more bloodsuckers to endanger Lucy. The very thought sent stronger tremors through his body.

"Calm down," Sam butted in, standing up to bring attention to himself. "We'll split up and we can hopefully then catch up to her. If the redhead's after Bella, then she'll need to be protected."

"And Charlie," insisted the girl in question.

"We'll have Harry and Billy keep Charlie busy around the area. In the meantime, you might want to spend more time over here," Sam appeased. He then shifted his gaze to Lucy. "You can come, too, if you want." Lucy didn't respond.

Technically, she wasn't a part of this and Lucy realized it. In a way, it hurt to know that she wasn't going to be able to help protect her best friend as well as burned her pride to know that Jacob was going to offer that protection. The idea that vampires were deliberately looking to kill Bella was terrifying. But what could Lucy hope to help with? More drugs? Bella already said that smoking was probably a one-time thing and Lucy wasn't going to pressure her into it. But other than that, what would her purpose be?

The house phone rang then, and Jacob, who was closest, answered it. He talked for a few minutes as everyone else minded their own business- Emily talking to Sam and Bella, Jared and Embry were making more bets, and Paul… well Paul was still staring at the redhead with the same kind of expression she probably had this morning.

"Your dad's coming to my place for dinner. Do you wanna stay?" Jacob asked Bella with hopeful, puppy eyes.

"Sure, sounds great," Bella replied with a smile. Another feeling of uselessness washed over Lucy.

"Since your dad's gonna be here, you got a ride, right? I'm gonna go ahead and head back." Lucy stood up from the chair and backed away towards the door, but not before kissing the top of Bella's head. "Thank you for the food, Emily. Sam. Giants." She nodded her head to the group before finally turning and heading out the door.

She kept her feelings at bay until she was safely locked into her car, the music was making her eardrums bleed, and her cigarette was lit. Immediately after everything was placed, she cranked up the vehicle, then swerved out of Emily's yard, allowing for the tears to cloud her vision. The drive was slow with the redhead's careful pace, but that was necessary on account of it being hard to see past the wet haze in her eyes.

When she got home, Lucy headed straight to her bed where she curled up completely emerged under her covers, and let herself doze off to sleep.

* * *

"That Swan girl is here."

Lucy blinked at her open door, where her pop stood with a bottle in his hand. He was already dressed for work in his mechanic clothing and it was clear that his beer was half-finished. Finn Mavrick wasn't a very big man in height, but had a thick beer-belly and wide shoulders. His face, which was in need of a shave, was peppered with dirty blonde and grey scruff, as well as his hair. The lines in his face told the story of many frowns, the result of his wife divorcing him and taking his child. A wave of sadness brushed Lucy at this thought.

"Alright. I'm up, Pop," she responded, rolling out of her bed. She hadn't even changed out of her pajamas yesterday. At the realization that she had been wearing them for two days, she felt gross. Even as she started gathering her clothes for a shower, her pop still stood in her doorway, however.

"Is… is everything okay, Lu? I know I haven't been around much but… you'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" At Lucy's bewildered expression, Jess flushed and backed out of her doorway. "I mean, I just wanted to let you know that. I need to get into work. Be safe, Lu." With that, he left.

Lucy waited a few minutes in stunned silence before dragging herself out of her room to see if her friend had been invited inside yet. She had been, standing awkwardly in the living room, and brightened up when Lucy exited the bedroom.

"Morning, Cee," she greeted almost shyly. The redhead's response was to yawn as she made her way to the kitchen. Bella followed.

"I gotta shower," Lucy mumbled while working on fixing a cup of coffee for her friend. After it was poured, sugared, and creamed, she placed it on the table. "You know the routine. Make yourself at home." She then left the kitchen to shower.

When she was done, she was in a fresh pair of pajamas (this set consisted of fuzzy Elmo pants and a baggy red shirt that had seen better days) and ready to start her Satuday. And by that, she meant to maybe call Eric as a buddy or watching Disney movies by herself while Bella was off in La Push. Depression weighed down on the redhead the more she thought about it.

"Why are you in pajamas?" was how Bella greeted her upon entering the kitchen again. Lucy, who was more awake now, didn't say anything, opting with busying herself with her own cup of coffee. "Cee…" the brunette hesitated. "Are you mad?"

Sighing, the 'honorary best friend' shook her head, letting the damp red locks brush against her face. "No. Just… still processing. Feels a little like the twilight zone. I don't understand how you can be so calm, Bee. With everything."

"Like Embry said, I'm good with weird. I've heard some of the Quileute legends before, knew a few vampires… It _is_ shocking but… not impossible, I guess."

"Yeah, how'd the whole vampire thing turn out? 'I vant to thuck yer vlood?' Why are there vampires after you?"

Bella shifted uncomfortably in her seat, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Immediately, Lucy felt bad about reacting like she was. Obviously, the wolves were trying to do the world (or just Washington) some good and Bella was in danger. Could the redhead be anymore selfish?

"I'm sorry. I just… I guess _I'm_ not good with weird."

"You? Not good with _weird_?" Bella gasped. The tension between them melted in their laughter, leaving behind a sense of optimism. Things were going to be alright. They had to be.

"Are you going to La Push with me?"

"No," Lucy answered, shaking her head. "I kind of just want to indulge myself in some Disney movies. Or gore."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Cee? Victoria has my scent and is looking for me."

"Which is why _you_ need to go ahead and get to La Push. From what the Golly Gee Wow Giants say, I don't think a stake to the heart and some onions are going to do me much good in protecting you," Lucy chuckled dryly.

"I think you mean _garlic_ and my scent is probably all over you, too," the brunette pointed out, standing up with her now-empty cup. She took time to wash it and set it in the drainer. Lucy's eyes didn't leave her.

"I could be a good distraction." It was intended as a bad joke but horror swept over the skinner girl's features at the suggestion.

"Don't say that!" Bella snapped. Lucy held her hands up in surrender, but the brunette continued. "You don't like the idea of me being used as bait- well I don't like the idea of you being used, either, not even as a joke. I can barely stand Jacob going after Victoria but I _can't_ deal with you being in danger, too!"

Large blue eyes blinked in surprise at the outburst. It was unexpected, especially from someone as docile as Bella usually was. Then again, angry outbursts were becoming strangely common for her nowadays, not that they weren't understandable. In anything, maybe Bella should have been displaying more angry outbursts than she had been.

"You're right, I'm sorry," the redhead was quick to appease. "Just let me get some clothes on. I don't think I'd be good for my reputation is I go in pajamas again."

Bella visibly relaxed against the counter.

It only took a few minutes to get changed into her everyday clothes: today consisted of a black graphic tee-shirt beneath a red and grey flannel shirt, ripped and shredded jeans, and beat-up black shoes. On her way out her room, she snatched her purse, which held the essentials (make-up and cigarettes), deciding to just go ahead and apply her face on the way there.

Upon seeing her friend's shirt, Bella rolled her eyes and groaned. "Is that shirt necessary?"

Surprised, the redhead looked down to see a picture of Bela Lugosi staring off into the distance. Despite her blush, Lucy grinned. "Ironic, if you asked me. It would have been better if the shirt was Wolfman or Blood and Chocolate or something. Hey, I should start calling you Lugosi, Bee!"

"Please refrain," Bella deadpanned.

* * *

Paul paced Emily's front yard, anxious for his imprint to come by. He had heard from Jacob that Bella had told him she was going to try and bring the redhead. Jacob had also said that Lucy was stubborn, but that was irrelevant. If the leech lover could make his imprint come to La Push, where it was safe, where he could see her, he would be forever thankful. Maybe.

The roar of the leech lover's truck alerted him from the end of the street. The way his heart felt like it lurched in the direction of the noise was proof enough that Lucy was there, but he lifted his nose to sniff for her minty scent anyway. His wolf purred at the smell and he probably would have as well if not for Jacob exiting the house to greet his leech lover just as the red truck was rolling into the yard.

He stayed where he stood (didn't want to seem too eager) as Jacob rushed to Bella's side. Bella slipped out of the truck, greeting the eager pup, but Lucy stayed in her seat with the visor down. Paul shuffled closer since she wasn't getting out and he was too eager to _not_ so… He appeared next to the window, ignoring the odd looks the leech lover and Jacob were shooting him, and peered in to see his imprint running a stick of kohl around her eyes. When she was done, she turned to reach for the handle, but gasped loudly when she saw Paul standing there.

The shape-shifter grinned at the way her face flushed and her heart raced. Her eyes sparkled in embarrassment but, instead of wallowing in it, opened slammed the heavy door open and almost caught Paul with it in the process. He growled as he jumped back to avoid it.

"What the hell?" he demanded. He wasn't really mad, however. He was actually kind of pleased to see the way she looked so agitated. She slipped out of the truck with a scowl marring her pink lips, slamming the door behind her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she snapped back. She continued ranting but he didn't pay much attention, instead taking this time to take in her appearance as she did so. Her chest bounced with her dramatic movements as she vented- Paul may not have liked the choice of shirt (Dracula? Really?) but he did enjoy the way it stretched across her breasts and hugged her curves. Now if he could only get her to take off the flannel shirt, which seemed to serve as a jacket- and a baggy one at that. Her hair was a cute disarray of chopped red hair that stuck out in different places like she hadn't bothered brushing it.

"And besides that, why the hell are you staring at me?"

Finally, Paul snapped out of his Lucy-induced daze. His crooked smirk placed itself on his face as he looked down at her, taking delight in how she reached just past his shoulder- barely. Her face reddened at his smirk, making it widen.

"I'm just admiring."

Crap, could her face get any hotter?

"Well don't!" she snapped, brushing past the large man to go inside the house. He followed, expression unchanged.

* * *

**AN: So I'm really REALLY thankful to everyone who reviewed as well as favorited and followed this story. It means so much to me and makes my day. I realize that this chapter isn't all that long (or any of the chapters, for that matter) but I hope you aren't disappointed, especially with the beginning of Paul and Lucy's relationship. It's not going to be easy, for reasons you'll find out. And, also, it should be known that Lucy does tend to hold a grudge. I hope you enjoyed it :) Please review? To let me know if I'm doing okay, if I need to change anything, or if there's something you don't like. I aim to please you guys.**


	4. Spring Break

**Chapter Four: In which Spring Break begins.**

**AN: I don't own squat.**

* * *

The weekend had been a long one. Saturday and Sunday had consisted of Bella being distracted by Jacob Black, who was over the moon that she knew everything that was going on. The result was the brunette being frequently whisked away by the wolf to go to the beach or to go by his house or to take a walk whenever he wasn't running "patrols." While it was clear Jacob didn't necessarily dislike Lucy, he _did_ make it clear that his offer for these things were for Bella and Bella only. Bella tried to include her female friend, but Lucy was pretty sure she wouldn't have any fun with Jacob making mooneyes at _her_ Bella as well as monopolizing all of her attention.

And then there was Paul Lahote.

Paul was irritating and pushy and argumentative. While Bella was distracted with Boy Wonder, Paul seemed to have taken up with babysitting Lucy. This included following her everywhere, hiding her pack of cigarettes, and trying to push her around. Maybe it was the shock of what she discovered that Friday still plaguing her, but it was starting to make her want to pull her hair out. Was this how Bella felt when either she or Jacob glued themselves to her hip? God, Lucy hoped not.

The worst part was that Paul stared at Lucy the entire time he was around her and it just made her that much more moody. She didn't understand anything about the situation at all. She had been stared at before, especially when she moved to Forks, but she had kind of enjoyed that- what was so different now? Why did Paul agitate her so much, and not necessarily in a bad way? What was it about him that made her feel so restless? And each time she would snap at Paul, he'd grin like he was pleased to get that response from her! The final straw was when all the boys were crowded in the kitchen for food Sunday night.

Sunday held some reprise from Paul since Sam had him running patrols with the others- why he couldn't have made Paul run them the day before as well was beyond Lucy's irritated comprehension, but she was thankful for the break nonetheless. Emily had taken pity on poor Lucy's nicotine withdrawals and found her pack for her while Paul was away. Within that Paul-free hour, the redhead might have gone overboard with the pack and smoked half of it. Unfortunately, that left her feeling a little queasy and without appetite from the chemicals and tobacco, but that was ultimately her own cross to bear. Or so Lucy would have thought.

Around the same time Lucy had taken to laying on the couch with her head in Bella's lap, the pack strolled in for dinner. From her spot, she could hear them stomping around in the kitchen, greeting Emily loudly and exclaiming about how excited they were for dinner, but the redhead refused to move, even when Bella slipped out from under her. Fuck it, she thought. Maybe it was rude but she was pretty sure she'd puke if she sat up and, somehow, that seemed even ruder. Besides, SpongeBob was on the television.

"Are you okay?"

Lucy looked up from the television to see Paul standing in the doorway with two plates of food in his hands. "Yeah?" was her answer. Her eyes turned back to the screen before she could see the twitch of his nose as he took in her scent. His inner wolf growled at the smell of tobacco and smoke on his imprint, which practically mutilated her natural chocolate-mint scent.

"You've been smoking." It wasn't even a question! Lucy rolled her eyes but otherwise didn't look away from the television. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Instead of even answering, she shrugged. "I brought you food."

Oh. Well. The redhead closed her eyes and sighed before sitting up. She couldn't be so inconsiderate as to not at least thank him. "Thanks, Paul but I'm actually not hungry," she tried to explain gently. It really was nice of him to bring her a plate of food, but she couldn't eat at the moment. She wasn't going to tell him it was because she found her pack of cigarettes, however.

"You should eat anyway," he said matter-of-factly, traipsing to the couch. He sat in the vacated space where her head was. Without thinking, she turned to sit properly in her seat so that her feet were on the floor. Lucy regretted it as soon as he laid one of the plates in her lap.

"It's really nice that you made me a plate, but I'm seriously not hungry," Lucy tried again, feeling her patience wearing thin.

"Yes it _is_ nice of me, so you should eat. So eat."

Lucy liked to think of herself as a good person. Maybe not patient, but definitely not short with people. She absolutely never thought of herself as a rude individual. But there was something about Paul that made her lose all tolerance for just about anything. Despite coming to terms with this fact, it still surprised her when she opened her mouth and said, "Eat me," before standing up and storming into the kitchen with her plate in hand.

The rest of the wolves as well as Bella and Emily were seated at the table, enjoying the dinner, but quieted down upon Lucy's entrance.

"Cee, what's wrong?" Bella asked as soon as she saw her friend's expression.

"This child is testing my patience," the redhead muttered.

"You going to eat that?" Jared asked right as she started to place her plate on the counter. Shrugging, she changed direction and placed the plate in front of him.

"Knock yourself out."

"Lucy!"

"Holy Mother of God, _what_!" Lucy cried, spinning around to glare at the shivering shape shifter in the doorway. He looked so angry at her that she would have felt intimidated if not for the other four shape shifters between them. Paul stomped further into the kitchen, eyes glued to her.

"I told you to eat!" he growled.

"I told you I wasn't hungry!" she snapped in reply. "What is _wrong_ with you! All you've done after hulking out on me is try to boss me around! You are _not_ my fucking father, Paul. You can't tell me not to smoke or when I should eat and you sure as hell can't order me to do anything! Fuck this and fuck _you_!"

With her piece said, the furious redhead shoved past the trembling man in the doorway for her purse, then again to leave the house entirely. Except, on her way back out the living room, Paul snatched her arm, forcing her to turn around to face him.

"What did you say to me?" he growled. How did she not notice how he towered over her before? The beginnings of anxiety roiled in the pit of her stomach, though she managed to push it down with anger.

"Did I stutter? Now let go of me, shit-stain," she ordered. If anything, his grip tightened almost painfully. She tried to tug away from him but he jerked her closer, making her drop her purse. The anxiety was beating out the anger, rising to her chest. Paul's eyes were so dark and wild, just like the growls coming from his chest. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.

Paul was trying to control himself, he really was, but having your imprint curse at you and be so nasty was a difficult thing to get a grip on, especially for the most volatile of the pack. Maybe he was being overbearing when it came to Lucy but it was only because he cared so much. And, to be honest, he kind of liked the way her eyes would darken when she was irritated or how her skin would flush if he pushed the right buttons. It was a pleasure to see, particularly because she seemed so laid back with everyone else. Being the only person who could get that reaction from her so easily was a nice thought.

It didn't help that Paul had been in a bad mood before this argument had happened, but that shouldn't have mattered. He had been positive his foul mood would have faded away upon seeing his imprint. But then she smelled like tobacco and she refused to eat. He hated that she just wouldn't do what he told her to. He was her mate, she was supposed to obey! Despite feeling this way, however, he knew that he kind of liked that she wasn't so easy to push around. Only a little though.

She needed to learn when and when it wasn't the time to push him.

"Cee, please, just eat," begged the leech lover from the table. Paul tore out of his thoughts to glance at her wide eyes and pale face. Was she afraid he'd hurt Lucy? This time it wasn't Paul who growled, but the wolf within. He'd never hurt his imprint. He was meant to protect her! To feed her and care for her and make her happy! How dare this leech fucker pass that kind of judgment on him?

Suddenly, Lucy squeaked, bringing the volatile wolf from his inner turmoil to notice the grimace on her mouth. His hand was still gripping her upper arm in a desperate attempt to keep her next to him. But the flesh his hand was wrapped around was white and blotchy. His grip fell from the appendage with a gasp, though he couldn't tell if it was from him or her. Before she could move away from him, he pulled her into him, folding her soft body in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, oh, my God, Luce, I'm sorry," Paul whimpered in her hair. Why hadn't anyone stopped him? Why didn't Sam intervene? He wondered if Sam had that much faith in him or if he just didn't care. Hopefully it was the former.

Lucy was stiff in Paul's hold. He could feel her chest brushing against his own as she breathed and it served as some sort of comfort to him. After a few seconds, she placed her trembling hands against his bare chest and pushed. His first instinct was to pull her closer and growl, but he knew his luck was gone for the night. His arms fell from her body with great pains. The pain got worse when he saw her stony expression. Only the slight tremble of her lips showed how scared she had been. Not that he could blame her.

"I'm going home."

"I'll take Bella home later," Jacob started to pipe up, only to be interrupted.

"How about no. Bella's coming home with me tonight," Lucy disagreed, turning to face the other wolves. She didn't want to look at Paul at that moment. Something felt weird in her chest when she did.

"I don't think that's your decision to make!" Jacob protested, standing up slightly. Without meaning to, she whimpered slightly and stepped back, only to jump back forward when she brushed against the man behind her. Her nerves were so frayed and she was so tired of the wolves. She would have said something but… well Lucy was afraid.

Bella stood up from her seat with her plate, then wordlessly set it in the sink. Afterwards, she reached Lucy's shaky person, where she picked up the fallen purse and took her hand in her own.

"Bella?" Jacob whimpered.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for everything. Goodnight," said the brunette as she led her friend out the house. No one stopped them, much to Lucy's relief. When they reached Lucy's car, it was Lucy who ended up in the passenger seat, smoking yet another cigarette, her nausea be damned. Her nausea was probably more so because of what just happened rather than the amount she had previous smoked.

Paul fucking Lahote had almost phased on her- again- and she had been stupid enough to provoke him in the first place. But that wasn't the worst part. What killed her was this heaviness in her chest, like she was worried she had hurt him somehow, even when his grip was so bruising. The look on his face when he realized he was hurting her sent chills down her spine- and that set her on edge. She didn't know what it meant. She didn't know why she felt like crying so much.

Maybe she was about to start her period or something.

"You spending the night?" Bella asked as they entered Forks as she usually did when they were together. Unlike the usual, however, Lucy declined.

"Nah, I need to get something done, babe." Bella only nodded before pulling into her house and hopping out. Lucy did as well. They met at the front of her car, where Bella pulled the redhead in for a hug. It was strange that Bella initiated the contact, but welcomed nonetheless.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," Lucy responded, pulling away. "I just really don't want to be sober right now." Bella nodded, though she didn't really understand- after all, she had only been high once. Maybe Lucy had lied when she had said marijuana wasn't addictive. Or maybe she just lost the ability to cope with things without it.

* * *

That Wednesday, _I'm Gonna Be_ by The Proclaimers went off on Lucy's phone, signaling that Bella was calling. She was calling pretty late, or so the clock suggested, which read 12:30 PM. Of course, Lucy had only been up for about half an hour, smoking the rest of her stash (courtesy of dearest Eric) to get as high as possible, as had become her custom since that Sunday night.

"Hullo," she drawled tiredly. Her body felt lethargic. Fuck it, Lucy thought, like she had the last two days. She wasn't going to La Push today. Nope. She didn't want to be around that bunch anymore. Let the vampire chick come suck her blood. Not that she had caught hair or hide of the rumored vamp since she had stopped going to La Push.

"Cee, I'm on my way," was how Bella answered. She sounded irritated and, unlike the last two days, it sounded like the brunette wasn't giving her friend any choice.

"I'm, uh, Bee, I don't- I don't wanna go," the redhead slurred, blinking heavily. Jesus, there was no way in hell she could move. "Can't you just, like, stay here?"

"No, Lucy! I'm worried about you when I'm over there and you're not! Now come outside!" she snapped, accompanied with a horn honking from outside. Lucy stumbled out of her bed, struggled with the towel in front of her door, and trudged herself out of her room.

"I don't think I can move," Lucy whined, though she was already unlocking the front door. Bella was already there, posed to knock. Slowly, they both lowered their hands and ended the call, their eyes never leaving each other.

"What's going on with you, Lucy?" Bella asked. She looked so damned worried. If the redhead wasn't higher than a fucking kite, she would have felt guilty. Instead, she giggled at the expression.

"Absolutely nothing. You look nice, by the way, as usual, you sexy beast," she laughed. "Come in?" She moved aside to let her friend in, closing the door behind her. "I want a beer," she muttered and made for the kitchen. "Oh, and some nachos. Bella! Can you take me to Taco Bell? Bell… Bells…?"

Bella sighed, following the redhead. "There isn't a Taco Bell in town, Cee. Emily probably has some food. She always does. I can't believe you're so high, Lucy! Jesus Christ!" Bella cursed as Lucy swayed and stumbled while bending in the refrigerator. She came up with one of her dad's beers, popping it open and taking a swig. The redhead made a face but took another one.

"This is probably one of the best highs I've ever experienced, Bee. I'd offer some but… I'm out. I don't think Eric can get any more for a while…" She giggled again, stumbling her way to the table. "Bella, you're so pretty."

Bella leaned against one of the counters and closed her eyes. How much trouble would come from her taking Lucy to La Push despite how obviously _stoned_ she was? Sure, the redhead had been fine the past two days while in Forks but Bella couldn't stand the anxiety and nightmares anymore. They were always haunting her, every time she closed her eyes. All her worst nightmares were in her dreams- Edward leaving, Jacob getting hurt, Lucy dying. And Jacob had been so busy the last few days that she was pretty much alone with every thought, especially since Lucy stopped going to Emily's with her. Granted it was only two days- but two days were enough.

"Lucy, please get dressed and come with me," Bella begged. The redhead's face sobered up slightly at the pleading tone and she finally studied her best friend's face- as well as she could, anyway. There were dark circles under eyes and she was pale. And so worried.

"You don't think they're gonna know how baked I am, Bee?" Lucy tried again weakly. But she had already given up and was standing to head to her room, chugging the rest of the beer as she went.

"It doesn't matter. We don't even have to go by there as long as we're on La push territory."

A few moments later- that felt like forever- Lucy was wearing a Supernatural shirt and torn jeans. Bella helped the girl into her truck, and then they were off.

True to her word, Bella called Emily to let her know she and Lucy would be at First Beach. Even though Bella assured Lucy that 'the boys' weren't going to be around much. Lucy didn't want to take any chances. She kept telling herself it was because she didn't want to see _any_ of the wolves, but she knew she was just scared of seeing Paul again.

Somehow, the two teenagers ended up at the top of one of the giant cliffs, looking out on the ocean. Lucy wasn't really sure how they got there, but she wasn't complaining either. The wind whipping around them felt nice on her overheated face and the height they were at increased the invincible feeling her high was giving her. She quite literally felt on top of the world.

She didn't realize she was on the edge of the cliff until Bella appeared next to her.

"Have you heard about cliff diving?" she asked quietly.

"Like suicide?"

"No, it's recreational. Like bungee jumping without coming back up."

Lucy silently mulled over what Bella said. She wasn't exactly afraid of heights, but the water looked a little angry and Lucy wasn't quite _that_ high yet. Through her sluggish thoughts, the redhead stepped away from the edge.

"Sounds fun, but maybe when it's not about to storm," she started, but Bella was already backing away. Before Lucy could even sigh in relief, however, the brunette took off in a full sprint- and jumped.

Why was it that Lucy was high during the times she needed to be sober most? Everything was so slow- it kind of reminded her of when Paul had phased in front of her. Someone was screaming for Bella to stop (was that her?) and she was rushing back to the ledge, barely managing to stop before toppling over it herself. The water was so dark and rough, swallowing Bella completely when she landed. Vaguely, there was a flash of red somewhere far off, but Lucy didn't think much of it. Instead she continued screaming for help.

She wasn't panicked, though. Her feelings didn't match the terror in her voice. Lucy was just numb as she watched Bella's head poke out of the water, only to be crashed back under by a wave. Before she could move to follow, someone pulled her back just as another person jumped forward. It only took a few moments of struggle to realize it was the wolves. Despite all the bad feelings Lucy had convinced herself she had, the redhead sagged against the person holding her at the realization. Bella would be okay. They would save her.

Sure enough, she could see what looked like Jacob dragging Bella out of the water and towards the shore.

"I want to see her," she demanded, turning in the arms- to see Paul. Her gut clenched at the sight and was surprised to note that it wasn't entirely unpleasant. His hooded eyes searched her face before he nodded and let her body go, only to take her hand. She didn't bother arguing.

They reached Bella and Jacob just as Bella was coughing up water. Immediately, Lucy rushed to her side, babbling questions that didn't even make sense to her. Apparently, Bella could understand what she was trying to say and placed her hand on her friend's cheek, effectively shutting the redhead up.

"That was such a rush," the brunette rasped.

Despite her tears, Lucy smiled, remembering that first night of friendship in Port Angeles. "Maybe my initial advice was a little misguided," she laughed thickly. All the emotion she was missing throughout the ordeal was slowly trickling through her drugged system until she was actually laying in the sand, sobbing into her best friend's chest.

"Why would you do that, Bee?" she whimpered as the nearly drowned teen stroked her hair. Jacob and Paul sat awkwardly some ways away from them, not saying anything, much to Lucy's gratitude. Time and space just felt so thick. Words seemed so tiresome. She didn't think she could stand to hear what either of them had to say.

"I had to see something. Sorry, Lucy," Bella apologized. A silence-filled understanding was shared between them. What's-his-tits. It was always about him, even if it wasn't.

"Well, I'm going to the hospital. I assume you can handle Drug Princess and Leech Suicide?"

Lucy looked up to see Paul standing up with an incredibly disgruntled expression on his face. She didn't like seeing it there but, at the same time, took pleasure in thinking maybe she had caused some of it. The redhead wanted to say something to him, anything, may it be an apology, expressing her gratitude, or telling him off for the uncalled for nicknames. But he was gone, jogging down the beach, before she could do any of the above.

Bella's grimace was still very much present when Lucy finally sat back to look at her. She _had_ to remember to ask why Paul was always referencing her to leeches and vampires. It was obvious that they had some sort of tie to her (Lucy saw that even as high as she was), but the question was _what_ exactly was that tie? As usual, however, now wasn't the time to ask.

"Hospital?" Bella wondered aloud, looking at Jacob.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack," the werewolf explained sadly. Bella's insides were rattled with guilt right-away and, sensing this, Lucy decided that helping her sit up would prove to be an okay distraction.

"Is he okay?" the brunette asked.

"We don't know. Your dad and my dad are at the hospital with him now I think."

Nothing more was really said after that. What could be? The full weight of what had happened couldn't touch Lucy, even though she knew she should at least feel sorry for her best friend's dad if nothing else. But she wasn't. She was glad Bella was okay and cold and that was how far her emotional capacity could reach at the moment. Jacob was obviously worried about Bella, considering she jumped off a fucking cliff to hear her ex-boyfriend's voice (not that he knew that last bit- because _he_ wasn't honorary best friend) and a man he knew his entire life just had a heart attack. And Bella was probably mulling over whatever conversation she and what's-his-tits might have had or felt sorry for the Clearwaters or maybe she just had a shit-ton of stuff on her plate at the moment and was trying to sort through it all.

Long story short: there was nothing _to _say.

Jacob drove Bella's truck to his house in silence, with Bella snuggled warmly against him and Lucy. Lucy was checked out of reality, staring out the window with drooped eyes. By the time they reached his place, the silence was almost no longer awkward. Or, rather, Lucy had grown used to the awkwardness and no longer cared about it.

The rest of the day was spent with Jacob and Bella dozing on and off on his sofa in front of the television while Lucy was in one of the arm chairs, mindlessly watching some cartoon, only taking a break to smoke a cigarette every so often. It wasn't decided to leave until Bella and Jacob finally roused from their sleep.

"How long were we out?" the werewolf moaned as he stretched, his arms reaching around the brunette.

"Uhm, about four episodes of SpongeBob and three episodes of Adventure Time. Maybe more," Lucy answered. She didn't look away from the television to see his confused face. She could sense Bella roll her eyes, though.

"Maybe we should get you back," she heard him murmur. From the corner of her eye, the image of Jacob leaning close to Bella's ear was seared into the redhead's mind. She stood up suddenly, ignoring the way her legs wobbled, and then stumbled to the door without saying anything.

Bella, who seemed to realize something was plaguing her friend's mind, stood as well and followed. She paused at the door, then turned around to look at Jacob, who was standing as well. "You really don't have to take us, Jacob. Really, you should be here in case Billy gets back."

"It's my turn to watch your house tonight. Pack duties come first," Jacob objected, reaching the door as well. Lucy huffed and exited the house before hearing Bella's reply.

Thirty minutes later, the three were in Forks and it was decided that Lucy was spending the night at Bella's. Bella was snuggled up against Jacob again, much to Lucy's displeasure, but she let it go since Jacob apparently ran 108 degrees and Bella was cold. See, she could be reasonable. She just didn't have to be happy about it.

What _did_ make her happy was when Jacob asked where Lucy lived and was interrupted by Bella informing them both that the redhead was spending the night at her house. "I haven't really hung out with her in a while," she explained, turning her head to wink at Lucy. The redhead grinned the rest of the ride

The ride, however, was cut short when Jacob suddenly slammed on the breaks about two blocks away from Bella's house. Lucy turned around to ask what the hell he did that for, but Bella beat her to it.

"Bloodsucker," he explained, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Charlie!" Bella gasped. "Go, we have to see! Hurry!" she urged. Jacob looked unsure but God forbid he go against the brunette's wishes (pansy, Lucy mentally scoffed). It wasn't long before they were slammed on breaks once more in driveway of her house.

"They're here, I can't take you here, Bella."

"Wait! That's Carlisle's car! Lucy let me out, they're back, they're here!"

"Don't you dare, Lucy!" Jacob boomed over Bella's frantic pushing and begging. "It could be a trick, Bella."

"I don't care, Lucy let me out!"

"Bella! I can't protect you if they're back here-"

"I don't care!" Bella finally screamed. "Lucy let me the fuck out now!"

Lucy opened the door, same as Jacob, and slid out the car. As Jacob slammed the truck closed and stormed off into the nearby woods, the brunette rushed past her friend towards her house. Lucy dutifully followed, even if she had no idea what was going on. Who the fuck was Carlisle and why was that a big deal, especially to Jacob?

When the redhead finally caught up with her best friend inside the house, Lucy became even more confused. Bella's arms were tightly wrapped around a tiny figure with spiky hair, sobbing as she did so, only to be shoved away by the person.

The girl was absolutely beautiful. Her skin practically glowed in the poorly lit living room and was flawlessly smooth. Her eyes were large and black as she appraised the crying teenager.

"Do you want to explain to me how the hell you're alive?" the stranger snapped. Her gorgeous face was contorted with worry and disbelief. Bella shook her head like she wasn't sure what to say and even stuttered unintelligibly. "I _saw_ you jump. Off a cliff. Why would you try to kill yourself, Bella?"

"I-I was- I wasn't trying to kill my-myself," Bella weakly defended. There was so much going on inside her- even Lucy could see that and it _hurt_. It was like she couldn't believe this stranger was here, felt guilty, and was terrified wrapped in a trembling package and topped with a bow of relief.

"She went cliff-diving," Lucy butted in, closing the front door. Apprehension filled her when those dark eyes suddenly turned to her. "She's been on this adrenaline kick. Mostly harmless." She stood next to her best friend and slipped her hand in hers. Whatever was going on, Lucy was going to be there for Bella. This was obviously hard for her, even if Lucy couldn't see why.

"Who are you? Was this _your_ bright idea? Christ, Bella!"

"Hey, you can knock that shit off," the redhead snapped. She didn't realize she tugged Bella back a little, like she tended to do when something felt dangerous in front of them. Alice did notice, however, but was uncertain on how to feel about it. This redhead seemed so protective over Bella.

"Excuse me?"

"Alice," Bella sighed, squeezing Lucy's hand. "This is Lucy. She's sort of become my best friend. None of this was… her fault." The stranger- _Alice_- sighed as she made her way to the couch, where she just kind of collapsed down. Bella slipped out of Lucy's grip to sit next to her, leaving the redhead to stand there dumbly.

"I have never met anyone so prone to life-threatening situations, Bella. I can't believe you would…" She sighed again. Bella didn't say anything, only curling her legs under her.

"Di-did… did you tell him?" the brunette finally asked after pregnant silence. The tinier brunette shook her head sadly.

"He only calls every once in a while. Apparently he wants to be alone." Again, Bella had nothing to say, but Lucy could see her starting to crumble in on herself. Before she knew it, she was behind her best friend, slipping her arms around the thinner girl's waist and let her chin rest on her shoulder.

Alice once more observed how this human interacted with Bella. Lucy didn't even remotely look familiar so she had to have been new to Forks or something of the sort. Upon first meeting her, Alice had disliked her- first impressions and all that. She couldn't have possibly blamed Bella for something as stupid as cliff jumping, could she? But the vampire had also known how fragile her brother's soul mate would be when they left. Maybe Edward was dim about it, but she knew better, and to get a glimpse at how helpful this borderline-delinquent looking girl was immediately warmed the vampire up to her.

Alice inhaled at the thought- only to crinkle her nose at the sudden smell that assaulted her senses. There was Bella's lovely floral scent, a pleasant chocolate-mint smell, and the odor of tobacco and marijuana- all overpowered by this disgusting stench.

"What is that god-awful wet dog smell?"

Maybe Lucy wasn't as sober as she thought, for she burst into giggles as soon as she registered what was said. Well at least Alice knew where the _other_ odor was coming from.

"Wet- wet dog smell!" The hysteric redhead fell from her best friend in her fit. "Ja-Jacob smells like- like a _wet dog_! Shit, Bee!"

"What is she going on about?" the vampire asked Bella. The amused smile on the human's face took her by surprise.

"Jacob's… kind of a werewolf," she answered, mouth still quirked as she turned her head slightly to look at the still-laughing girl behind her. "And we've been hanging out with him."

"Bella! Werewolves- they're not good company to keep!" Alice gasped, appalled at the prospect. _Werewolves?_

"Speak for yourself."

"I thought you weren't supposed to be here," mumbled Bella, which was what really caught the redhead's attention.

The short amount of time it took Lucy to sober up was astounding. She sat up, her eyes hardening at the sight of Jacob Black, and tightened her mouth into a scowl. He didn't pay any attention to her, however, instead opting to stare like a kicked puppy at his one-sided paramour. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by another hulking body shoving past the man in the doorway to the kitchen.

Paul?

"I can't believe you left her here with a fucking _leech_ you son of a bitch!" the angry wolf stormed, stopping in his tracks. His dark eyes zeroed in on the palest girl with such a heated look that it gave Lucy chills. "Get. The fuck. Away from her," he ground out. His entire body was vibrating. All because of some wisp of a girl?

Then it hit Lucy so hard she fell of the couch with a thud. Her entire body felt cold and nauseas with the realization and, once again, she was forced to wonder if maybe her weed was spiked with something and all of this was a dream. It was definitely better than what was running through her mind now…

But sort of all made sense. Bella being called leech-lover? Her unexplainable connection with vampires and being cool when it came with weird? The scar on her arm? And when she and Alice were talking about _him_- it _had_ to have been about what's-his-tits.

"Lucy? Lucy, are you okay?" Bella slid off the couch as well to crouch in front of her friend, who was dangerously pale.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," the redhead whimpered.

"No, you're not, Cee," Bella reassured, though her guilt-stricken expression did nothing to ease the panic in Lucy's stomach. "You're going to be fine, just like before."

"I'm too sober for this, Bee," her friend sobbed. "You really are an adrenaline junkie, huh?" She laughed brokenly through her tears.

Isabella Marie Swan was shattered-in-love with a fucking _vampire_ and practically belonged to a family of them. Now, Lucy didn't know a lot about these creatures- just the bad stuff that the pack said about them. Obviously, if an entire species was born into existence because of the existence of something else, it _had_ to be bad, right?

"Is she going to be okay?" came Paul's voice off to her side as she buried her head into Bella's hair. He sounded so panicked, it made the redhead want to chuckle once more. It seemed like he was never just calm when it came to her- he was always frantic with some sort of emotion. Usually irritation and panic.

"It just took her by surprise. I think we forgot to tell her everything," the brunette answered quietly, running her fingers through the unruly red locks. "And she's had a tough week. Not to mention a horrible day. Jesus, I'm so sorry, Lucy."

When Lucy finally pulled herself together and pushed away from her best friend, she felt embarrassed. Jacob just kind of stood awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen like when he arrived, Bella was fussing over her, and Paul was squatted next to the two girls, eyes not leaving the redhead's face once. Alice was nowhere to be seen, however, but Lucy was kind of glad. How did you deal with this sort of thing properly?

"Well Lucy's going to La Push with me, your bloodsuckers be damned," Paul replied, snatching up the chubby teenager's hand and standing up, thus pulling her up with him. Bella stood as well. She looked as confused as Lucy felt.

She didn't freak out that bad, did she?

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After all, what could you really say to that?

"What are you, a caveman? Damn, Paul, what was the conversation we had not even a week ago?" Lucy cut it, drying her eyes with her free hand. A part of her twanged painfully when he let her hand slip away, but she didn't want to contemplate it. She didn't do weird- that much was becoming painstakingly obvious, and that was definitely weird.

"It isn't safe, Lucy," Paul begged. "That girl? She's a vampire. A bloodsucker. It's one thing if this leech lover wants to endanger herself, but another thing entirely for you to!" His voice steadily rose as he spoke and his trembling increased as well.

"Uh, no," the redhead hiccupped, much to her mortification. How does someone be firm when they're still sobbing? "I told Bee I'd stay with her. If she still wants me to- I am. Bee?"

And her questioning gaze, Bella smiled softly and nodded. "Of course, Cee."

"Then it's sett-"

Paul's roar drowned out Lucy's words. At first, she was going to yell at him, tell him to knock it off. What did he have to be so concerned about, anyway? Why was he even here? Why was he _always there_? But then she looked at his face and the way he looked so pained and she couldn't do that. Instead, she touched his vibrating forearm with the tips of her fingers, which made he shut up kind of quickly.

"But thank you, Paul. You're always trying to take care of me."

To her amazement, the trembling stopped. His expression was still torn, but less so than a few minutes ago. "I can't protect you here, Lucy," he whimpered in a desperate attempt to sway her. "There's a treaty and borders I'm not supposed to cross."

"You have more important people to protect, anyway," Lucy shrugged off, shaking her head slightly. "Besides, I'm sure Bee's got some garlic somewhere."

"Paul, Alice isn't going to hurt anyone. We're safe with her. I promise."

"Paul, man, we can't be here anymore," Jacob joined in.

"Please, Paul?" Glistening blue eyes beseeched him almost pathetically.

He growled. He didn't like it one bit, but he understood what he had to do. Turning to the leech lover, he said, "If anything happens to her, it'll be on _your_ head, got it?"

If anything had ever been painful, it was walking out of the Swan residence without his imprint. His wolf was incredibly displeased, ruthlessly fighting to be freed so he could just _take_ Lucy. Her opinion didn't really matter when it came to her safety, he argued. But Paul knew there would be no peace between himself and Lucy if he followed his most basic instinct to protect her. Lucy was going to protect Bella no matter what the consequences might be.

Lucy watched as this hulking man stormed out the front door, shaking so violently she was once again afraid he was going into a seizure. Something tugged in the pit of her stomach, lurching towards him, even after the front door was slammed shut and he was out of sight. What was up with these feelings? She felt like she had hurt him somehow, but there was no way staying with a vampire could bother him that much. Unless he was concerned for her safety- which, she supposed, had been the case a few times before. After all, he had been the one to stop her toppling off the cliff and he concerned himself with her smoking and eating habits.

She sighed, sick of her thoughts, and turned to the other hulk, still oogling her best friend in the kitchen's threshold. She had no time for thoughts of Paul. She needed to be focused on this almost-stalker behavior _this_ giant was currently indulging in.

"Are you going too? You just told your buddy you couldn't be here anymore."

Maybe that was a little rude but Lucy had had her quota of temperamental man-beasts for the day. Fuck. Them. All.

"I need to speak with Bella, if that's okay with you," he sneered.

"Careful, Jake, your horns are showing," she sneered right back. The redhead realized that they had never exactly been buddy-buddy on account of their mutual jealousy of each other, but, up until now, he had always at least been cordial with her. It had been a trying day for everyone, though, so Lucy didn't really bare any hard feelings.

"Hey, stop it you two! I don't need my best friends fighting as well," Bella cut in. Immediately, Lucy stepped down from the fight and smiled tightly at the brunette. Somewhat satisfied, Bella busied herself with picking up a discarded cup left on the coffee table then started towards the kitchen. "Talk to me while I'm doing dishes. Cee, you know the drill." Meaning to watch television until she got rid of the mutt.

Lucy was only quarter of a Family Guy episode when the front door slammed open to reveal Alice flying to the kitchen. The redhead frowned, stood up, and closed the front door just as Bella, Jacob, and the vampire rushed back into the living room. Bella was rushing up the stairs and Alice and Jacob were arguing about what was and wasn't safe.

"Bella, _please_ don't do this!" Jacob whimpered as soon as the brunette was downstairs again with only her rarely-used purse.

"I have to, Jacob. I can't let him kill himself no matter how guilty he might feel."

"What?" Lucy asked, reopening the door to let the other three outside, as they were rushing towards it anyway. Without a word or even glance at her, they glided by.

"We have to hurry, Bella!" Alice snapped, rushing to the black car across the street in an invisible flash. As soon as the car was driven closer to the Swan residence, Bella hopped in. Jacob was immediately at the window of the driver's side, still pleading with the brunette not to go. Lucy rolled her eyes and went to the other side. The brunette turned away from the werewolf in favor of the redhead and smiled with watery eyes before rolling down the window.

"What the hell is going on, Bee?"

"Edward thinks I killed myself," Bella explained. "There's a coven of vampire royalty in Italy and he's going to try and get himself killed, too. I have to go."

"Will it be dangerous?" Lucy had to ask, slipping her hand into the car to take hold if Bella's.

"Probably."

Lucy, intoxicated and dizzy, wanted nothing more than to make Bella stay with her, to keep the brunette out of any and all danger. But she knew better and she wasn't the person to stand in the way of her best friend's road to true love. While the redhead didn't give two fucks if what's-his-tits lived or died, Bella did. And even though Lucy ached because of it, among other things, she had to let her go.

"Just… make sure you stay alive?" Before Lucy could register the relief wash across her best friend's face, she ducked under the hood of the car and stole a chaste kiss from the brunette's mouth. "And please come home," she whispered.

With her piece said, she pulled away, walked around the car, and scurried back into the Swan residence, feeling as though her heart was breaking. Shortly after she was seated numbly on the couch, Jacob dragged himself in as well, looking as defeated as she felt. Wordlessly, he sat next to her.

Lucy and Jacob may have never gotten along, but they had one thing in common- they were both in love with a girl whose heart belonged to another.

* * *

**AN: Thank you so much for following, reviewing, and favoriting my story! I apologize for it being so late, but there have been a lot of distractions recently. I hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July, though! I hope this isn't a disappointment, though I realize it was a little choppy and discordant. Please review with your thoughts, ideas, opinions, etc. I really want to know how you feel about it.**

**Thank you again!**


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